


Colour of My Love

by SailorHeichou



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Angst and Humor, Armin gets around a lot, Bars and Pubs, Domestic Fluff, Endgame Ereri, Eren works in a Lounge, Established Eruri in the beginning, Eventual Smut, Friends to Lovers, I repeat, Levi and Eren and neighbors, M/M, Mutual Attraction, Relationship Issues, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Therapist!Levi, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love, gratuitous use of the word fuck, long haired eren, musician!eren, no cheating involved, rated for language, this is not a fic about cheating
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-03-27 08:49:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13877409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorHeichou/pseuds/SailorHeichou
Summary: Eren is the co-owner of a popular Lounge, alongside his best friends Armin and Mikasa. Uninterested in relationships or the thought of settling down, Eren is living the Bachelor life quite happily, that is, until he gets a new neighbor. It's safe to say that it's something like Love at first sight, but it looks like Eren's hopes and dreams won't last very long when he learns his newest neighbor is in a long term relationship with what appears to be the perfect guy! With all his hopes dashed, Eren settles for just getting to know his strange new neighbor. But, perhaps his feelings toward Levi won't stay as unrequited as he thinks they will.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Leave Your Lover](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2062431) by [SailorHeichou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorHeichou/pseuds/SailorHeichou). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya, all my lovely Ereri shippers and SnK fans alike!  
> I am back with an all new project that I hope will become a favorite of yours (and mine).  
> Now, I'm going to call this a sort of remix of my own fic Leave Your Lover (Hot and fresh out the kitchen!), because it's going to be somewhat similar but obviously different.  
> When I wrote LYL, I was only 19-years-old and now I'm turning 23, soon. I feel like a lot of my opinions about certain things have changed, as well as my perspective on life, so I would like to try writing a more mature, more emotional version of Leave Your Lover.  
> While, yes, there will be some similarities, please don't assume this fic will be anything at all like Leave Your Lover. The themes are the same, but the story lines themselves will be completely different. 
> 
> Now, then! Without further ado, I hope you'll enjoy this new project of mine and (as usual) a **HUGE** Thank You to my waifu and Partner in crime, Paula. Couldn't have started this without you, sweet pea!  <333

He was going to be late... again. 

Eren struggled with his keys as he rushed out of his apartment, cell phone cradled between his cheek and shoulder trying to get a hold of Armin. The line rang, and rang, and rang but no answer. He couldn't believe this was happening. How had he slept through all of his alarms? Finally, he got the lock for his front door to cooperate with him, a silent "Thank fuck." leaving his lips as he double checked to make sure the door had really locked. Satisfied, Eren finally put his keys away feeling around his pockets to make sure he had his wallet. A familiar bump was felt in his back pocket and he sighed with relief, finally free to haul ass toward the Lounge. It was still relatively early, considering they usually didn't open till around 6 pm anyway, but Eren needed to be there at least an hour early in order to check with all their stage acts lined up for the evening. Owning a Lounge was... interesting, to say the least. Not exactly what he imagined he would be doing at this age, but, better than being twenty-eight and still living at home with his parents. 

"Come on, Ar." Eren cursed. "Pick up the damn phone." 

As he began turning to walk down the hallway toward the stairs that led down from his floor, Eren heard a soft bang coming from the vacant apartment next to his. Pausing to look back toward the shut door, he couldn't help but be just a little curious. The Super had mentioned something about someone leasing that apartment, perhaps just a courtesy, giving him a heads up before he was cursed with endless noise. He hated having to put up with new neighbors, mainly because they were each more rude than the last occupants. Sometimes he wished there were a better screening process for new neighbors, but he knew that was sort of impossible. He just hoped the new occupants wouldn't be worse than the last couple who moved in before. If there were an award for world's noisiest neighbors having sex, it would have gone to that couple. Honestly, there was difference between screaming out in ecstasy and screaming fucking bloody murder. Eren shuddered just remembering it. 

Shrugging it off, Eren resumed his brisk walk toward the stairs, momentarily forgetting that he had been trying to get a hold of Armin all this time. He hissed out yet another curse as he grabbed the phone and began redialing. Hopefully, the blond would answer this time and Eren could explain why he was going to be so late.

\- ♥ -

Things managed to work out, somehow. Eren was late but Armin had managed to keep things in check until he got there. Of course, the blond had lorded this fact over Eren's head the whole evening, never missing a chance to remind him that he owed his oldest friend big for covering for his ass. The Lounge was surprisingly busy that evening, most of their patrons being couples, which Eren found only _slightly_ irritating. As he helped Jean and Ymir, two of the Lounge's bartenders, clean up some empty glasses left on the bar top, the brunet had to refrain from gagging as he watched a younger couple practically eating each other's faces not too far from where the bar was.

"Is it just me, or are the couples that come in here starting to get more and more irritating to watch?" he complained bitterly. 

Ymir snorted, "No. It's just your single ass being salty as fuck." 

"Yeah, Jaeger." Jean said with a smirk, joining Ymir in her teasing. "You're just jealous because you're not getting any." 

Eren flashed the two bartenders a very unimpressed look before he was resuming his task of washing the used glasses, "Like you're one to talk, Jean. You're just a single as I am." 

"Yeah," The taller ash-blond admitted. "But the difference between you and me is that I get laid." 

Rolling his eyes, Eren decided it would be best to just ignore Jean and Ymir. He should have known better than to voice his opinions aloud around the two of them. They had a habit of ganging up on him, even though he knew they were just trying to rile him up. While Eren didn't have much of a history with Ymir, his history with Jean was very old and, well, violent. In High School, they had hated each other, but somewhere along the line, perhaps in college, they had found some sort of middle ground. Or, maybe it was just because they had both grown and matured and didn't feel the need to always be at each other's throats all the time. Turns out the main reason behind all their fights was because back then Eren was too impulsive and quick to anger while Jean just said whatever the hell popped into his head without much thought or consideration for other people. Now as adults, Eren was much more mellow and Jean was slightly less of a dick, and as reluctant as he was to admit it, the asshole had become one of his closest friends, even if he was still a dick. 

"He's got a point, you know." 

At the sound of Armin's agreement, Eren couldn't help but look up and shoot his best friend a hurt look. 

"Et tu, Armin?" He said dramatically. His voice trembling as he pouted his lower lip. 

The blond was immediately rolling his eyes at Eren's highly unnecessary theatrics. "Oh, save it, drama queen. You and I both know he's right. When was the last time you went on a date?" 

Frowning, Eren chose not to answer by pretending to be quite engrossed in his task. Unfortunately, there were only so many dirty glasses for him to wash and soon he had run out of reasons to linger by the sink. Armin, Jean and Ymir didn't drop the subject, not by a long shot and the trio had stared Eren down until the brunet finally caved while drying his hands on the black apron tied around his waist. 

"Fine, fine! If you really want to know, I haven't been on a date since..." he paused, debating on whether or not he should actually tell them the truth or simply fabricate something just to get them off his back. 

"Since?" prompted Armin smugly. 

Sighing, Eren knew that lying to Armin wouldn't get him anywhere because the blond could always tell when he was lying. Something about the tips of his ears going red. Damn his own body for betraying him. Well, he may as well just tell the truth. 

"...Since Mylius, okay. I haven't been on a date with anyone since Mylius." 

"Mylius!?" Jean exclaimed with a rather obnoxious laugh. "Are you telling me you haven't gotten laid since the two of you broke up over a year ago? Damn, Jaeger!" 

"No, that's not what I'm saying." the brunet gritted out. Honestly, it was hard not to revert back to his old impulsive ways when it came to Jean. "The question was when was the last time I went on a date, not when was the last time I got laid, idiot." 

"Alright, then when _was_ the last time?" prompted Ymir. The freckled woman took to leaning against the bar top as she stared Eren down, her mouth still loudly smacking that damn gum. 

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Like I'm expected to keep track of shit like that? I've got more important things to do than count down the days from the last time I slept with someone." 

Ymir's disbelieving expression told him she didn't buy the poor excuse he was trying to feed her. "Wow. Must have been awhile ago, judging by the half-assed answer you just gave." 

"I know when he last got laid." smirked Armin, waggling his eyebrows in Eren's direction. The brunet was not in the least bit amused. 

"... Don't you have something to do, Armin?"

"No, not really." sang the blond. "I took care of most everything earlier this afternoon." 

"So, you've got nothing to do? Absolutely, not a single thing?"

"Nope." 

"... We're not best friends anymore." Eren deadpanned. "Give me back my spare key. You don't deserve it." 

This earned him a round of laughter from all three of his harassers but Eren was not amused. Luckily, Mikasa came to his rescue. The raven-haired beauty approached the bar where Jean and Ymir were still leaning against it casually. Armin had taken to sitting on one of the stools with his legs crossed together. 

"I thought the last time you got laid was with that guy you met here a few months back." Mikasa said. Eren immediately wished she had not come over, now that she was spilling the beans on his private love life. That's what he got for telling his two closest friends every little thing about his life. He really needed to start keeping some shit lowkey. "His name was Thomas, wasn't it?" 

Feeling his patience wearing incredibly thin, Eren decided it just wasn't worth arguing about this anymore. Mikasa had gone and aired his dirty laundry out for all his friends and co-workers to see and there was no taking any of those words back now. He hated being the butt of everybody's jokes around here but he had come to accept that people just liked to fuck with him and when those people just so happened to be your oldest friends, it got pretty tiring always trying to pick a fight over every stupid little thing. 

"Yeah, yeah. His name was Thomas and don't remind me, alright? I still can't believe I actually found him cute with those awful sideburns." 

"You mean 'Mutton chops'." Armin corrected with a cheeky grin. Eren reached across the bar top and firmly tugged on a lock of the blond's long hair that was draped over his shoulder. "Ow!" 

"You're not helping, Ar." 

"He still comes in here every now and then and asks for you, you know?" Mikasa pointed out. She moved to stand behind Armin, where she then began to run her fingers through his hair in order to smooth it down. Armin leaned back into her touch with a warm smile and Eren rolled his eyes. What a little brat. "Why don't you give Thomas a chance, Eren? He seems nice enough." 

"Oh, yeah, _real_ nice." the brunet snorted. "Do nice guys usually go home with strangers they meet in bars?" 

"You know what I mean." the raven frowned. "He seems to really like you and you're always avoiding him or shooting him down. Then you're over here complaining about how single you are. Make up your mind and take what's offered." 

Eren knew that Mikasa had a point, of course, but just because what she said was true didn't mean she was right, either. "Look," he began with a put upon sigh. "I know Thomas is sweet and all and no I'm not oblivious to the way he hangs around here every other night hoping to ask me out but..." 

"But?" prompted Jean. "He's not hot enough, right?" 

"Hotness has nothing do with it. He's just... not what I'm looking for. After everything with Mylius, I just realized that I want something more than just a physical attraction or a lukewarm romance. There has to be a spark of something more extraordinary." 

"Extraordinary?" Ymir laughed. She had briefly moved away from the others in order to refill a drink for one of their patrons but returned to her previous spot quickly. "Eren, now you're just being fucking stupid. Shit like that only happens in Twilight books or... Twilight movies." 

"Oh?" turning to face the freckled woman, Eren settled her with a knowing smirk. "And you're telling me what you felt the first day you saw Krista wasn't "Twilight worthy romance"?" he asked in a sort of mocking tone. 

"That... That was totally different!" blushed Ymir. It was slowly becoming a normal thing to see the punk acting so soft and out of character lately since she started dating her girlfriend Krista. Ymir was a tall woman with cinnamon skin and freckles, usually with a rather indifferent expression on her face when she wasn't trying to scare off fuck boys and perverts. With one side of her head shaved and her dark brown hair dyed purple at the tips, plus the myriad of piercings on her face and body, it was just a bit unsettling seeing her acting so... well, not Ymir-like. "What Krista and I have is way better than those dumb Twilight movies or books! Our love is real!" 

"Alright." Jean snorted sarcastically, a hand coming up to tuck a lock of his ash-blond hair behind his ears. "Whatever you say." 

"By the way, Jean." Ymir prompted, a devious grin spreading across her face as she turned her attention to her latest victim. "What the fuck is up with you growing out your hair?" 

"Wh-What?" the taller man said defensively. "It's my fucking hair, I can do whatever the hell I want with it!" 

"I mean, I understand Eren and Armin growing their hair out because they've got that whole 'conjoined-at-the-hip-best-friend-but-no-homo' thing going on between them. But you? What's your excuse?" 

"Yeah, Jean." Eren taunted. Now it was his turn to bully the other male. "Were you feeling left out or somethin'? You could've just asked Armin and me if we would let your join our club." 

Seeing the way Jean's face went slightly red with either embarrassment or anger, maybe both, Eren stifled a snicker while Armin rolled his eyes and shook his head. It seemed like Jean was going to be the group's target for the moment but that was completely fine with him. Two of their servers came up to the bar, Eren recognizing them as Connie and Sasha. Sasha was a brunette of average height with her short hair cut into a stylish bob, Ymir having convinced her to shave the side of her head in a similar fashion as her. Admittedly, the look suited Sasha who was an overall cute girl but with her new hairstyle and wearing the staff's all black uniforms (Black, short sleeves button up shirts and black jeans or slacks) with the the name embroidered in white font over her breast, she looked less cute and more sexy. Their male patrons had certainly taken more notice of her as of late, anyway. 

"Ah, I've only been working for an hour and yet my stomach won't stop rumbling." the brunette complained as she slumped herself across the bar top. 

"Sasha," Jean said with a frustrated sigh as he tried to shoo her off the bar top. "I just cleaned that area. Stop pressing your face against the glass, you're gonna smudge it." 

"Fiiiiiine." she groaned. "Armin~ Could I please have my break now? There's a packed lunch in the back with my name on it and it's calling me!" 

Taking a long moment to glance around the Lounge to see that there was no need for two-servers, Armin eventually smiled and nodded earning him a squeal of glee from the brunette before she bounded over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek loudly. 

"Thanks, Boss-man. You're the best!" 

Then, like the hurricane she was, she was gone in a rush leaving everyone feeling just a bit exhausted from her high energy. But, that was just Sasha and the group had gotten used to her little quirks and habits by now. Connie was heard sighing heavily as he took the empty seat next to Armin at the bar, his elbows folding over the glass bar top as he rested his forehead there. Jean grumbled about smudges again and reached down under the bar to grab the glass cleaner for the umpteenth time that evening in order to clean the smudges Sasha had left behind. 

"Something wrong, Connie?" Armin asked worriedly. 

"Yeah, it's not like you to be so down in the dumps." Eren agreed. "What's up? Is it Sasha?" 

Lifting his head from where it rested on his folded arms, Connie groaned. "When isn't it Sasha? Honestly, guys, I'm running out of ideas here!" 

The group all exchanged varying looks and glances with one another as they listened to one-half of their favorite pair of goofballs vent about his issues. Connie and Sasha had been best friends since high school, but Connie caught feelings for the lovable brunette about a year ago when they kissed under the mistletoe at one of Armin's Christmas Parties. Since then, the poor guy had been struggling with ways to try and tell his best friend that he was hopelessly in love with her. They had all tried to help him out and give him advice that would help him finally take the first step but so far, nothing he did seemed to be getting through to Sasha. 

"I say you just pull her aside and kiss the shit out of her." Jean said once he had finished wiping down the bar top again. "If that doesn't get it through her thick skull, you're fucked." 

"Jean." Armin exasperated. "Try to be a little empathetic here." 

"I am being empathetic! If I were in Connie's shoes, I would just kiss the fuck out of my crush if they were as dense as Sasha." 

"You mean like how you tried to kiss Mikasa back in Middle School?" snickered Eren. "Ah, that was a good day. Seeing your dumb ass walking to home room with a busted nose was my favorite thing that happened that entire year." 

Scowling, Jean flipped the bird Eren's way but the brunet simply laughed louder. "Yeah, fuck you too, Jaeger. Need I remind you about the time you got caught having sex in Mylius's car while in the parking lot of a Wendy's?" 

"Yeah, so?" Eren shrugged. "Still not as embarrassing as you getting your face punched in by the baddest bitch in our grade in front of the entire student body." 

Jean didn't really have a good argument for that, so instead he buttoned his lips and resumed his wipe down of the bar with the lemon-scented cleaning formula. Connie groaned a little more loudly this time, earning him Jean and Eren's attention once more. 

"Guys! Could we please focus on me and _MY_ problem here? If I don't figure out a way to tell Sasha that I... uh.. that I wanna date her, some other guy is gonna swoop in." 

Eren felt bad for Connie, he really did. He hated seeing one of the coolest dudes he knew suffering like this when he was so close to sealing the deal. Sasha and Connie were already inseparable as it was, but he supposed it made it difficult when Sasha was always pushing him right back into the friend zone at every corner. He wanted to do something to help, but what could he do? As if picking up on his thoughts, Armin gave Eren a meaningful look from across the lighted bar top, and without needing to say a single word the brunet immediately understand what he was trying to imply with just that look. There was one way Eren could try helping Connie, but it all depended on if the guy was willing to take this leap of faith now, rather than later. 

"Connie," he called with a smile. "I think... I have a way to help you out." 

Perking up, Connie turned wide, hopeful eyes toward him. "S-Seriously!? Tell me! Whatever it is-- anything, I'll do it!" he said. 

"Glad to hear it." Grinned Eren a little more widely. "Alright, now, here's what you're gonna do." Moving down the bar a bit, Eren moved in so that he could lower his voice and whisper his plan into Connie's ear who seemed to blush a bright red. "Got it?" he asked, pulling away with a raised brow. 

Connie swallowed thickly, "Yea-Yeah, I think so." he stuttered. "But, shit, isn't this a little... too fast?" 

"Trust me." the brunet laughed. "If this doesn't help you finally tell Sasha how you feel, I don't know what will."

\- ♥ -

Eren had changed out of the uniform he'd been wearing in favor of his normal clothes. With Sasha's lunch break finally being over, the brunette had walked back into the Lounge looking for all the world like she had just eaten the best meal in all her life. Which, when it came to Sasha was probably never too far off; she wasn't particularly picky about her food, so long as it was made properly. He had abandoned the bar where Jean and Ymir had resumed taking orders and making drinks as more customers trickled in little by little. The 104th Lounge wasn't a very large space, but that was expected for the underground basement of an old brick building. It's two main attractions were, of course, the large, illuminated bar near the farthest back wall by the spiral staircase that led down into the basement. The second attraction, being the small stage set up in a rather large alcove that provided the perfect acoustics making it easier on all three of their bank accounts because it meant not having to pay a fortune for hooking up sound systems. The stage was very simple in design, with just a simple stool and mic stand for their performers to use seeing as most of their hired acts were independent artists who mostly sang indie of various types; Eren included.

The brunet had set up on the stage with his old electric guitar he kept at the Lounge for the rare occasions he did feel like performing. For the most part, the lounge had a very mellow vibe to it, allowing for a cozy and intimate atmosphere with it's low lighting and darkly colored floors and walls. That was exactly how Armin had intended it to be. It was a place for people to come to when they wanted to have a drink in peace and not have to deal with the obnoxious thumping bass of noisy club music or put up with pushy, drunk patrons. With Mikasa heading up their security, it was a well-known rule among their long time regulars that any type of violent, drunken behavior would not be tolerated in the least. Thankfully, most people tended to follow their rules, seeing as no one ever really came here to get piss drunk, unless they were depressed and wanted to forget their problems. In which case, they had a very clear cut-off point for such people. Armin took the safety of his customers seriously, as did Eren and Mikasa. They wanted to ensure they created an environment where everyone felt comfortable and secure, after all. 

Eren took his seat on the high stool on the stage, his guitar already plugged into the amp and ready to go. "Good evening, ladies and gents." He winked at the end of his sentence, an easy smile forming on his face. "I hope you're all having a nice night." Eren received a few scattered cheers and agreements from his building audience. Every pair of eyes were on him and in the back, moving about, he spotted Sasha and Connie cleaning up a table and stacking some glasses that had been left behind. The brunette spotted him, beamed and then shot him a thumbs up before she went about her business. Then Connie seemed to shoot him a nervous little grin as he followed Sasha closely. "I'll be closing out the evening with a few songs, so I hope you all enjoy." 

Situating himself on his chair, Eren pulled out the pick that he had hidden behind his ear, his long, chestnut hair draping over his shoulders as he released it from the ponytail he had it tied back in all evening. He leaned forward a bit so that his mouth pressed up against the old microphone, "This first song goes out to a couple of good friends of mine." 

Tapping his foot against the stage in order to start his own makeshift percussion, Eren began plucking at a couple of strings, to ease them into the melody since he didn't have Ymir to help him out on drums, or Jean or Annie to help him with back up vocals. Still, he would make do with what he had at his disposal. Taking a deep breath, he began singing softly into the mic, his eyes closed.

[ **(X)** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG2PgVl0Nlc)

_♪ I don't stand in line, I don't pay for clubs, fuck that (yeah) But I'll wait for you_

_I don't like to drink, I don't like to think, fuck that but I ponder you_

_I'm bending it over, you're my four leaf clover, I'm so in love, so in love_

_There's no one above, up above, forever's a long time, yes_

_My blue jeans will last me all my life, oh yes_

_So should we, I'm spending all this time_ ♪

Opening his eyes, Eren peered into the darkness and tried to spot Connie and Sasha. He found them sitting at a table off in the corner, Connie having luckily built up the courage to sit Sasha down across from him, face to face. He looked like he was struggling to speak, even from this distance, Eren could see the intense blush on his face as Sasha looked on in mild confusion. Eren was setting the mood for them, but it was all up to Connie from here on out to seal the deal.

_♪ Met you at the shop, sun was getting hot, I'm lonely, I'm in the city on my own_

_Never would've thought you'd be the one, I got a homie but that's the way it goes_

_I'm reaching nirvana, goodbye sweet Rwanda, High school was never for me_

_I say let it be, let it be, forever's a long time_ ♪

When next he looked back to check on Sasha and Connie, he saw the two of them locked in a rather one-sided kiss. Only, the one doing the kissing was Sasha and his shorter friend who now looked like he was about to die from all the blood currently in his face. It looked like his and Armin's little plan had worked, not that he had ever really doubted it much, but, well, it was Connie and Sasha. Those two were the densest people he had ever met in his life. Smiling against the mic, Eren's voice crescendos once more as he starts nearing the end of his song.

_♪ My blue jeans will last me all my life, oh yes_

_So should we, I'm spending all this time_

_You don't even know me, You don't even know me, yes_

_I'm hanging from the tree, I'm hanging from the tree_

_(Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh)_

_(Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh)_ ♪

\- ♥ -

When Eren returned home that morning, he sighed heavily feeling just how tired his body was. There was never any denying that he was no longer as young as he thought he was, especially lately how busy the Lounge was. Pretty soon before he knew it, he would be thirty and--hopefully-- mildly successful for his age. That was all he could really ask for in the end. His mother had called him a couple of times while he was at work and he had promised to call her in the morning when he got some sleep. Not that he was planning on going to bed right away. With his kind of schedule, sleeping most of the mornings and afternoons away Thursday through Sunday and staying up until the very early hours of the night and mornings, Eren had no hopes of falling asleep at 3:45 AM on a Friday.

Upon reaching his front door, Eren took a moment to just press his forehead against the cool, green paint and sigh again. It wasn't so much that he was physically tired as mentally, he supposed. Despite his attitude about most things, he was a bit of an introvert. He hardly had any friends growing up, though that had more to do with the fact that he had anger issues and no healthy way to deal with them so he took to fighting and acting out instead. Then, he was introduced to music, picked up playing the guitar, the piano, the drums, anything he could get his hands on. Music had been his saving grace in High School as an angst filled teenager dealing with his shitty father wanting to suddenly come back into his life for whatever poor excuse of a reason. Of course, he had also been thankful for the very few friends he did have, which in the end was always Armin and later Mikasa. 

His social battery was completely empty and while Eren loved his friends like crazy, he couldn't spend every hour of every day around them or else he'd burn out too quickly. He needed time to himself, to just decompress and gather his thoughts and relax. It was what kept him mellowed and much less angry these days and luckily, his friends understood. Instead of asking him out to places, they would mostly just come to his apartment and bug him instead, which, Eren didn't mind all that much because he was in the comfort of his own space and not out in public surrounded by a million other people. His mother had always told him his social skills were terrible but he didn't believe her until he went off to college and nearly got arrested for punching out the son of some rich family that funded the school for generations, blah, blah blah, muddy water under the bridge. 

Eren took a second to just absorb the complete and utter silence in the corridor. He had yet to unlock his front door, but he would... eventually. Instead, he found his eyes trailing over to stare at the shut door of the apartment next to his. Ah, right. He was supposed to have a new neighbor. He wondered if they had already finished moving in yet. His apartment building wasn't anything fancy but it wasn't a shithole either. Eren always liked to think it had its own vintage sort of charm to it. It didn't have elevators, so you had to walk up and down flights of stairs but he was okay with that. It was a nice way to squeeze in a bit of exercise, especially for someone like him who sometimes forgot to workout, even on his off-days. The apartments themselves weren't too small, with surprisingly high ceilings and an open kitchen/living room layout. Overall, Eren liked his little home. It was his and he had lived there for the better half of four years. At first, it had been his and Armin's apartment, but, the blond had decided to move out about two years ago which left Eren with the whole place to himself. 

Thinking back to it, it had also briefly been his and Mylius's apartment, too. Before shit hit the fan and Eren had called everything off. Thinking back to his ex had the brunet groaning quietly to himself as he softly banged his forehead against the hard surface of his door. It wasn't like Eren didn't have his fair pick of men all over this damn city, and then some. It was just that he didn't feel anything particularly exciting with any of those men he was with. In the end, he always found some reason or another to break up with whoever he was with. Was it so wrong of him to want to have something a little more exciting than just passing attraction to someone? Was it so impossible to hope to find someone that would make his heart race for more than just a couple of weeks before he eventually got bored and lost interest altogether? His friends all seemed to think so, but Eren felt like he deserved more than just settling for the closest thing. He didn't want to settle. He wanted someone that would completely wreck him in the most beautiful way, even if they left him completely in pieces, that would be okay. At least he would be able to say that he had loved his absolute hardest and best and that was all he really wanted. Leave his mark on this world by having loved someone so intensely that it ruined not only himself but them too. 

Sighing for what felt like the hundredth time that night, Eren finally decided to stop moping in the corridor and unlocked the front door with his keys. Tomorrow was another day and if Eren knew how his usual routine would play out, tomorrow would be just the same as today. Well... that was something for him to worry about in the morning. For now, he needed a shower, some hot food and maybe a disney movie to help lift this gray cloud he caused to form himself. Just another night in the life of twenty-eight-year old bachelor, Eren Jaeger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Happy Birthday to our favorite angry nugget! [Eren] Couldn't wait until April to start posting for this new fic. I'M GARBAGE.) 
> 
> But, here we go, first chapter! Will update again very soon~
> 
> p.s. enjoy the springles~!! after watching season 2, i needed my springle babies to have their own cute romance and I'm so glad i took the time to write this.


	2. Chapter 2

Things had been strangely quiet over the weekend. With a new neighbor moving in, Eren had expected a lot of noise but after that first day he had not heard a peep from the apartment next door. Briefly, he wondered if perhaps his new neighbor had already finished moving in that night he had gone to work, but then he quickly shot down that idea when he noticed the lack of sound that normally accompanied the moving of furniture. So, until sunday finally rolled around, Eren had basked in the blissful silence. 

Sundays were usually when his parents would come and visit with his little sister, Isabel but instead his mom had decided to ditch him with the little monster instead. Isabel was, in essence, the female version of himself in every single way and ever since she was born, Eren had come to appreciate his mother's unconditional love and patience when it came to him growing up because fuck knows, Eren would have lost his shit by the time Isabel was five-years-old. She was by far the most troublesome kid and yet Eren couldn't help but love her anyway. 

"Izzy," He sighed. Eren couldn't believe he had somehow let an eleven-year-old manipulate him into taking her out to buy her ice cream when all he had done was ask her to help him bring in the groceries earlier. "You can't tell mom I bought you ice cream for breakfast. She'll kill me."

"What are you gonna give me to buy my silence?" the little red-head asked. Holy fuck, when had she become so savage!? Eren didn't even think he saw her blink the whole time she said that. Was she some kind of child thug? 

"Nothing." the brunet huffed. "You already got your ice cream. Isn't that enough?" They were now climbing the third flight of stairs that led up to his apartment, Isabel engrossed in her handheld video game yet not even tripping over a single step. "Hey, pay attention to where you're going, dummy. You're gonna fall on your face."

"No way, big bro." Isabel snorted. "Either you make me a deal or I tell mom about the ice cream." 

"Seriously, Izzy? You're gonna blackmail your favorite brother?" Eren sighed. "Fine, if you promise not to tell mom, I'll let you stay up until 10 pm the next time you stay over." 

"Midnight." bargained the little red-head. Her too-green eyes narrowed on the much taller brunet as they finally reached the landing on the third floor.

"Deal." relented the brunet. "But don't blame me when you're too tired to wake up early when mom and dad come to pick you up." 

"Yesss!" cheered Isabel as she began running back toward Eren's apartment. The brunet grumbled under his breath as he pulled out his keys and followed after her. "Whoa!" he suddenly heard her exclaim. "Look, a dog!" 

Glancing up from where he had been trying to fish out his keys, Eren watched as Isabel bolted past his apartment door to the neighboring door where a rather large dog was tied to the doorknob. Feeling fear grip him, Eren sprinted off to catch up with Isabel before she could reach the dog, his arms reaching out to grab her and hold her back. He only just managed to stop her from getting too close to the strange canine, but that didn't stop the dog from trying to approach them anyway. Eren took a step back, dragging his little sister with him, despite her struggle to break free. 

"Izzy, stop it! You don't know if that dog is friendly or not." he scolded. 

"But Eren, look at him!! He's so... so... FLUFFY!!" 

Glancing back up at the dog, Eren had to admit... he did look pretty harmless. It was obvious that the dog was some kind of German Shepard/Husky mix, with it's very distinct features. It's coat was a rich rust brown, with golden underbelly and socks on each paw. Then, of course, there were those big, hazel eyes that seemed to sparkle excitedly as the dog wagged his insanely fluffy tail. For the most part, it was obvious this was no stray dog, seeing as he was collared and leashed to the doorknob of his neighbor's door.Then, there was the jingle of license tags proving that someone owned him, not to mention the way the dog yipped and whined excitedly as he tried to get closer to Eren and Isabel. Warily, Eren released his hold on his sister. Isabel practically shot out of his arms when she felt less resistance and the brunet watched as the little red-head barreled straight into the dog's chest. Her high-pitched squeals of joy and laughter could be probably be heard three flights down but Eren anxiously watched for a few moments, seeing how the dog didn't try to push her down or growl at her, instead licking her cheek and yipping excitedly. 

"Good doggo!" Isabel cooed. Her small hands burying themselves in the dog's thick coat where she scratched him relentlessly. "Such a good doggo!"

Approaching the dog, Eren got down on one knee as he also began scratching the dog behind it's ears. He seemed to appreciate all the attention he was getting, if the huge dopey grin on his face was anything to go by. For the most part, he seemed rather well-behaved, if not just a tad bit excitable but that was a given seeing as Isabel was talking to him like he was a baby and now giving him tummy rubs. 

"Wonder why he was left outside like this?" Eren thought aloud as he watched Izzy scratch his stomach, the dog's leg shaking happily. "Does he belong to someone in the building or...?"

"Hey," a surprisingly deep voice called out. Eren snapped his head up in the direction of the staircase and noticed someone approaching them now. A rather short man with two boxes piled in his arms. Eren stood up, momentarily stepping in front of Isabel just in case this guy was some kind of weirdo. "The hell are you doing with my dog?" the man asked. 

Confused, Eren peeked over the boxes to see the man's face properly, only to feel just a little speechless when he saw a pair of steely gray-blue eyes staring up at him; eyes so sharp they could probably cut him down a few sizes. Finally, the man set his boxes down, revealing his face in it's entirety. His skin was so pale and contrasted greatly against his onyx hair that was cut short and styled into an off-center part. The man was all sharp features and prominent cheekbones, a strong chin despite his youthful appearance and neck that was thick with muscle. Definitely not some kid, then, Eren decided right then and there. No punk kid would have biceps like this guys, of which Eren could see through the thin material of the man's [black pullover sweater](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/49/c8/36/49c8362e12495951c713eb150942dad7.jpg).

"Hello?" called the man again, clearly growing agitated with the lack of response from Eren. "You deaf or something?" 

"Wow," Came Isabel's voice as she finally stopped petting the dog to see what was going on behind her. "You sure are short, mister." 

Nearly choking on his own spit, Eren felt his eyes grow wide as he registered what his little sister had just said. I mean, yeah, sure, the guy was really short, especially in comparison to Eren but that didn't mean he still couldn't kick the brunet's ass and he very much did not want to have his ass kicked today. 

"Izzy!" Eren hissed.

"What?" the red-head frowned. "I'm just calling 'em like I see 'em." 

He heard the other man sigh, "I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that." Then, those sharp eyes were focusing back on Eren who swallowed nervously being under such intense scrutiny by this man. "Clearly you're not deaf or hard of hearing, seeing as you just heard this brat call me short. So, I'll ask one more time: What the hell are you doing with my dog?" 

"Uh, your dog?" blinked Eren. Blinking in confusion, his brain slowly put the pieces together. Dog tied to the door next door, this guy asking him what he was doing with his dog, hands full with boxes. "Wait... are you moving into the building?" 

Sighing again, the man took up a slightly less intimidating posture as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Wow," the man drawled in a monotone voice. "You're a real Ace Detective, aren't you? What gave it away, Sherlock? Was it the boxes in my arms labeled 'Kitchen ware'?" 

Well, Eren wasn't expecting that sucker punch of sarcasm to come from the guy at all. He had such a serious expression, with his mouth constantly turned down into a frown and his brows furrowed together. When Eren, once again, didn't answer him quickly enough, the raven-haired man's sharp gaze dropped back down to Isabel who was still hugging the neck of the dog possessively. 

"I wasn't told there would be brats on this floor." he commented with a slightly wrinkle to his nose. "And I even specifically asked the landlord if there would be any snot-nosed kids running around making noise at all hours, too." 

"Hey!" Isabel cried in offense. "I'm not snotty and I don't even live here! I live with my mom--"

"Izzy," Eren sighed, knowing that if he didn't stop her now the little red-head would just land him in more hot water. Something told him he didn't want to piss this guy off or annoy him anymore than he already had. "Uh, look, I'm sorry about all the confusion. My name is Eren Jaeger and I live in the apartment right behind you." he said, pointing at the door just over the man's shoulder. He turned and glanced back at it, then back at Eren before sucking his teeth and seemingly grumbling something under his breath. "I guess you and I are going to be neighbors, seeing as this is your dog and he was tied to the door next to mine." 

"Figured all that out yourself, hm?" The raven bent over to pick up the boxes he had set down on the ground. Eren opening his mouth to prepare to ask if he needed any help moving in when Isabel once again had to throw a curve ball.

"My dad could kick your butt, you know." the little red-head sniffed out. "He's kinda scary, like you." 

The man's eyes never left Eren's now wide gaze, as he answered. "I'd like to see him try." 

Swallowing thickly, Eren began to shake his head. "Uh, look, I'm sorry about Izzy. She's--" 

"Levi?" the addition of new voice had all three pairs of eyes turning toward the source. "I heard voices. Are you..." 

A rather tall blond came walking toward them, at least three boxes in one muscled arm as he balanced them. The first thought that crossed Eren's mind when he saw the blond was, _'Fucking hell, who let Captain America wander around like this on his own?'_ because the man was built like a fucking superhero, that was obvious even through the material of his tight, white button up shirt. Then, of course, there was that flaxen hair parted and combed neatly without a single fucking fly away hair to be seen. His eyes were a piercing, ice blue that seemed to study all three figures stood in the corridor but his most striking feature had to have been those cheek bones of his. Jesus hell, they could probably cut fucking glass! Just who was this guy?

"Am I interrupting?" Captain Handsome asked. 

"Not at all." came the shorter man's--Levi's-- reply. "Just meeting the neighbors, apparently." 

"Oh?" Suddenly, Captain Handsome was taking a step toward Eren and extending his free hand out for him to shake. Fuck, even his hands were huge. What the hell? "Is that right? Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm Erwin Smith and this is Levi Ackerman." the easy smile on Erwin's face should be criminal, Eren decided. Just how in the fucking hell was someone as handsome as this just standing in front of him right now? Was he being secretly Punk'D right now? Did Jean and Ymir set this shit up? 

"Oh, um, right, yeah, same here." came Eren's lame response as he awkwardly reached out and took Erwin's hand. Figures, the guys hand was warm and soft as fuck. 

"Tch, could we maybe wrap up the introductions? It's not like we're carrying boxes of heavy shit or anything." Was Levi's annoyed comment.

"Y-yeah, sorry. Come on, Izzy, let's go get you ready for mom to pick you up." 

"Awww." Isabel whined loudly. "But I wanted to keep playing with the doggo some more." 

"Sorry, brat." Levi said as he passed Eren and the little girl by in order to grab the leash and wrap it firmly in his hand. "The dog needs his rest too, you know." 

Erwin smiled down at Isabel, who shyly looked away when she noticed. Eren couldn't help but watch on with mild annoyance at how sweet and innocent his little terror of a sister was being in front of Erwin, just because the guy was stupidly good looking. The blond began moving to follow after Levi as the raven finally unlocked the door and allowed the dog to run in before him, then he was stopping to look back at Eren.

"It was nice meeting you... um...?"

"Eren," the brunet smiled back nervously. "Eren Jaeger. I live in 30B." 

"Ah, yes, well, nice to meet you, Eren." 

The brunet watched as the blond walked off, following Levi into the apartment before the door shut behind them. Standing there for a few moments, Eren had to take some time to sort through the mixed feelings he had about his new neighbors. Meanwhile, Isabel began to tug on his hand as she got restless. 

"Come on, Big bro! You promised we could play some video games together before mom and dad come to pick me up!" 

Sighing, Eren decided it was useless to try and sort through the various feelings he had regarding the two men who were moving in next door. "Alright, Izzy. Chill, I'm coming."

\- ♥ -

A couple of hours later, Eren's parents were knocking on his door. Isabel was still in the middle of packing all her things in the guest bedroom, though why she bothered putting her shit in there every time she came over was a mystery to Eren, seeing as she always ended up sleeping in his room in the end anyway. The brunet opened the door and was greeted immediately by his mother sweeping in before the door was even all the way opened.

"Hello, darling. Is Isabel ready to go yet?" 

"Hi, Mom." Eren greeted back almost exasperatedly. Was it really any wonder where he and Isabel got their hard-to-handle behavior from? If you were to ask him, Carla was more like her children then she would ever admit. Just as hot-headed, just as quick to act on her feelings and scary as all head when she was pissed off. "No, she's still packing all her stuff." 

His step-dad stepped into the apartment next, a large hand coming to grip Eren on his shoulder and give it a firm squeeze. Keith Shadis was a tall man with a rather intimidating face but it was all mostly a facade. In truth, the man was a big softy underneath all the hard-ass, tough-guy behavior. Being former military, Eren supposed that probably shouldn't be a surprise. Still, despite the man being just his step-dad, Eren regarded him as his own Father and called him as such. 

"Hey, Dad." 

"Eren, my boy. How was Izzy? Did she get into any trouble?" 

"Well--" Before he could even answer Keith's question, Carla was coming up to him and grabbing hold of his face with one of her hands, forcing the brunet to look down at her as she scrutinized his face closely. "Mom, wha are you doihng?" he struggled to ask, his cheeks being squeezed together as she turned his face from side to side and then up and down. 

"Eren Michael Jaeger. There better be a good reason for why you haven't shaved that hair off your face." 

Keith suddenly barked out a loud, boisterous laugh. "Carla, honey, leave him alone. He's a grown man, grown men have facial hair." 

"What? I'm not saying there's anything wrong with facial hair but just look at him, Keith!" Gesturing vaguely in Eren's direction, his mother went on to point out everything that was wrong with his appearance. "He hasn't cut his hair in over a year, his face is covered in scruff, he only ever wears those old, baggy clothes when he's not working or going out. People will think he's a lazy bum if he doesn't shape up!" 

"Mom," Eren sighed. "Would you calm down? I just haven't had the time to shave recently, okay? I promise to shave tomorrow." 

Falling silent, the older woman shot her son an almost petulant look before trying to bargain with him. "Fine, but will you at least trim your hair just a little bit?" she asked. 

"No! I happen to like my hair long like this." 

"But, sweetheart, it's covering up that handsome face I gave you! I mean, just look at him, Keith! Isn't he just the most gorgeous boy you've ever seen? That's all thanks to my genes!"

"Yes, dear." Keith agreed without hesitation. "Everyone knows that Eren and Isabel take after you in the looks department." 

"Oh, god." Eren groaned, his hands coming to cover his face in embarrassment. "Mom, I'm not cutting my hair. Be glad I'm agreeing to shave at all." 

"Fine, fine!" she eventually relented. "Where is that sister of yours? She's taking long to get her things, isn't she?" 

"I'm coming." came Isabel's irritated voice. "Why do I have to go to school tomorrow? School is stupid!" the little red-head complained. 

"There's my girl." Keith called, crouching down and opening his arms wide. Isabel suddenly perked up at the sight of her dad and ran straight into his arms, the man scooping her up and ruffling her already wild red hair. "School is important, Izzy. Even if it is stupid."

"Ah, look at your hair, Isabel. Honestly, Eren, would it have been too much to ask you to put her hair up nicely at least?" Carla chided her eldest child.

"Mom, you and I both know Izzy's hair can't be tamed. I've tried a million different shampoos, conditioners, hair products and nothing works." 

"Mom, Dad! There's the cutest doggo that lives next door to big bro now!" 

"Oh, a Doggo?" Keith asks. 

"Yeah, yeah and a really short, grumpy guy and this tall, guy that looks like superhero or somethin', he's HUGE!!" 

Carla's warm gaze turned to address her son, who shrugged and nodded at everything the little eleven-year-old was saying. "New Neighbors again?" Carla asked. "I hope they're less noisy than your last neighbors." 

"You and me both." sighed the brunet. "But, I happened to meet the both of them earlier and they seemed decent enough. Still, I guess only time will tell." 

Moving to hug her son, Eren wrapped his arms around his mother and squeezed her back tightly. Then, it was time for his parents to get going, taking Isabel with them as they finally left. Eren walked them down to their car and when Isabel popped her head back out of the back window, the brunet leaned down and blew a noisy, wet raspberry against her cheek earning him a very loud, disgusted 'EWW, GROSS!' before he was receiving one of his own in return. He would admit, it was definitely gross, but that's how he and Isabel liked to show their affection, by grossing each other out. With his apartment back to himself, Eren walked back up the three flights of stairs in order to hole himself up inside his apartment and sleep the rest of the afternoon away. At least, until his alarm for work would go off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that Isabel and Eren are siblings, hm? The feedback I received for the first chapter was fantastic, guys. I'm so happy majority of you are as pumped about this fic as I am. (≧∇≦)/


	3. Chapter 3

Over the next couple of days, Eren had heard some mild noise from Levi and Erwin's side of the wall. It was obvious that they were moving their things in but at a slow pace and he couldn't help but wonder why they were taking so long. They only seemed to be moving things early in the mornings, never mid-day or late evenings, which only piqued his curiosity further. Were they on some kind of strict schedule? Since they only seemed to move things in in the mornings, it was hard for Eren to try and get a hold of them. More so, Levi. With Eren's fucked up sleep schedule, it meant he usually slept late into the days. It wasn't like he needed to bug his new neighbors for anything particularly, but, he felt the need to at least offer to help them finish moving in, seeing as it was taking them an awfully long time. 

The only day out of the week when Eren was guaranteed to be up before noon was on Wednesday because that was Grocery Shopping day and Laundry day; today was Wednesday, which meant the brunet was currently on his way back up from taking his clean clothes out of the laundry room downstairs. Eren had his arms full with the basket of clean clothes when he reached the landing of the third floor. He turned the corner, trying to balance his basket against his stomach as he held it firmly with one hand, the other fishing around in his pockets for his keys. He slowly approached his door and was still fiddling with his keys when he heard a shout from down the hall and then the next thing he knew, there was something barreling right into his legs and knocking him down, his basket flying out of his hands and sending freshly washed clothes in every direction. 

"What the fu--" before he could even sit up from his spot on the ground to see what had knocked him down, he felt a wet sensation pressed against his cheek. Blinking rapidly, Eren glanced up to see a familiar gorgeous pair of hazel eyes and a whiskered snout right in his face, a pink tongue coming to lap at his chin. "Ugh!" 

"Hey, you alright?" a familiar, low voice asked. "Damn it, Backpack. Cut your shit out." Someone came to grab hold of the dog and finally Eren was allowed to sit up, with a heavy weight no longer on his chest.

Eren wiped away the wetness from his cheeks and chin, grimacing when he felt just how sticky it was before wiping it off on his torn jeans. "I'm fine," he answered distractedly. "A little moist, but fine." 

"Shit, sorry, kid." When Eren finally got to his feet, he turned and met the face of his savior, only to blush when he realized it was none other than Levi. "Hang on, alright, I'll help you pick all this shit up. Just lemme get this idiot back inside." 

Too surprised and suddenly nervous to speak, the brunet simply nodded his head as he watched the raven steer his dog back into his apartment, making sure to shut the door behind him before he turning back to help Eren pick up all his laundry that was strewn about on the ground. 

"Sorry about this." Levi repeated, crouching down and picking up a t-shirt. Eren noticed how he quickly folded it before putting it back inside the basket. "I hope these are clean." he suddenly said, scowling down at yet another t-shirt, this one with a permanent stain on it from where Jean had spilled Annie's wine on him one night. The stain was mostly gone but still kind of noticeable if you looked hard enough. 

Crouching down next to the raven, Eren took the shirt out of his hands and bundled it up into a ball before setting it inside the basket. "They're clean." he fires back. "But you don't have to fold them, just put em in the basket and I'll fold them when I put them away." 

"It's fine," the other man said dismissively as he picked up a pair of sweats and folded them quickly. "I don't like the idea of you walking around looking even more like a hobo than you already do with wrinkled clothes, just because of my dog." 

"H-Huh?!" Eren squawked in surprise. "A hobo? What's that supposed to mean?" 

Stopping mid-fold, Levi shot the brunet a very clear 'Are-you-fucking-kidding-me' look before he resumed folding, "Seriously, kid, do you not own a fucking mirror? Long, messy hair, unshaven face, the perpetually tired look that says you probably just rolled out of bed. Stop me if I'm wrong." 

Torn between feeling slightly offended and possibly embarrassed for having his disheveled look pointed out by someone other than his mother, Eren chose to stay quiet instead, though the tips of his ears were absolutely burning thanks to Levi's blunt words. Refraining from speaking again, Eren went about his task of gathering up all his clothes and piling them up into his basket. He wasn't even bothering to fold his clothes, though Levi seemed determined to fold every piece of clothing he picked up, fuck only knows why. 

"... Sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel like shit or anything. I was just kinda pointing out the obvious." the raven gave a bit of a halfhearted shrug as he continued to finish folding a pair of Eren's socks.

"No," Eren sighed, one of his hands coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "It's okay. I guess it just struck a chord because you're the second person to tell me the exact same thing in the last couple of days." 

"Seriously?" 

"Yeah..." 

"Sounds like maybe it's time for a trim and a shave." 

" _Clearly._ " groaned Eren. 

He hadn't expected to get a laugh out of the man crouched next to him, let alone find himself joking around with him considering how awkwardly they had met before but he caught the little snort of laughter as the raven finished folding the last article of clothing in his hands. Eren was just a little bit dumbstruck but the soft sound, the very subtle little upturn of Levi's lips, both so faint that he almost convinced himself that he imagined it. Suddenly, his heart was racing and that nervous was right back forming a huge knot in his stomach. He fidgeted with his hands, unsure of how to go about speaking to Levi now that he had seen such a new side of the man he never expected to find. 

"Here, that's the last of it." Levi said, handing the hoodie to Eren who took it hesitantly. 

Their fingers brushed briefly and it was enough to have the brunet's heart leaping up into his throat causing him to swallow nervously. "Th-Thanks. You really didn't have to help." 

The two men straightened up, Eren carrying his basket in front of him with both hands as he tried not to stare or gawk at Levi. It wasn't like he hadn't noticed how attractive Levi was the very first time he saw the man, but he had been put into too awkward of a situation to properly appreciate that little fact before. Now, without Isabel there to insult the man and no signs of the blond from before, Eren could appreciate all he wanted. Levi was wearing a simple black v-neck t-shirt today, which was probably only giving Eren more of a view of all of his muscle and smooth, porcelain skin. Those biceps he had noticed the last time were now on full display and Eren couldn't help but swallow for a third time. The v-cut of the shirt was displaying the man's collar bones and unconsciously, the brunet licked his lips, caught his lower between his teeth and gnawed on it nervously. 

"It's no big deal." Levi once again dismissed. "Sorry again about my dog." 

"It's alright. No harm done." Rubbing at the back of his neck, Eren shifted his weight over from foot to foot as he tried to think of something to discuss with the other man. After all, this was the first time he was bumping into him again after two days and who knew when the next time would be. "Uh, so, I was wondering if you've gotten settled yet. Seems like you're still moving things in." 

"Actually," the raven began. "I just got finished a few minutes ago. Took a fucking eternity but I'm all moved in now." 

"Oh," Eren deflated. "That's good. I was actually going to ask if you maybe needed any help." 

Levi's sharp gaze was suddenly on him, pinning him in his spot as the raven silently studied his face. Now more than ever, Eren wished he had shaved, damn it; one of his hands came up to rub at the underside of his jaw feeling the scruff that had accumulated there. Suddenly, he was feeling just a little bit self-conscious standing there wearing a loose olive green t-shirt and the comfiest pair of jeans he owned, faded and more than just well-worn. 

"No need." the raven said, his eyes finally breaking away as he stared down the hallway at nothing in particular. It was almost like he was trying to avoid staring at the brunet for too long, which Eren found odd but wasn't about to question. "But thanks for the offer anyway. Unless..." Levi pauses here and then shoots Eren a slightly annoyed glare. "You were only offering to help because you wanted to snoop around in my shit." 

"N-No!" stammers Eren, a little too loudly at that, too. "No, that's not why I offered at all! I just thought maybe you needed an extra pair of hands and--"

"Calm down. I was only fucking with you, kid." 

Blinking at the use of the term 'Kid', Eren couldn't help but slightly bristle. "That's the second time you call me Kid." he points out, raising a brow in question as he regards the shorter male. "I'm twenty-eight, you know." 

"Still a kid to me." 

"No way." he snorted. "You hardly look older than me." 

Levi shrugs and crosses his toned forearms over his chest. "Well, I am." 

Eren narrows his eyes suspiciously, "... Just how old are you, then?" 

"Don't you know it's fuckin' rude to ask someone what their age is?" 

"That only applies to women." smirked the younger man. "Or, well, that's what my mom always says, anyway. But that's probably just her way of trying to ensure nobody actually finds out her real age. She's been thirty-nine for eight years in a row now." 

"Sounds familiar." mumbles Levi. "Must be a mom thing." 

This time, Eren shrugs, a tiny smile forming on his face. "Must be. But, are you going to stop dodging my question?" 

"Tch. Why are you so fucking curious? If I say I'm older than you, just accept it and move on. Respect your elders and all that shit." Levi makes a vague gesture with one of his hands and this prompts a soft snicker of laughter from the brunet. 

"Alright," he says. "I'll stop bugging you. Thanks, again, for helping me pick up my stuff." 

"Like I said, it was no big deal. It was Backpack's fault for knocking you down and my fault for letting him get out of the apartment in the first place." 

"Backpack...?" Eren questioned curiously. "You mean, your dog's name is--"

"Backpack, yeah, what of it?" 

"Oh." Well, now he wasn't sure how to react to this new information. "Is... is there any particular reason why he's named Backpack?" Would it be considered rude if he laughed? Probably. He made sure to remind himself not to fucking laugh at such an unusual name for a dog.

"Yeah, but I'm not going to tell you what it is." the raven snorts, finally turning away to start back for his own door. "See you around, Kid." Levi didn't bother sparing him a second glance as he finally disappeared into his apartment leaving Eren staring after him in the corridor. 

Still, despite the odd interaction, Eren finds himself smiling. He had gotten to know his newest neighbor just a tiny bit and what he had learned so far, he liked. Levi was odd but in an interesting way. Blunt and just a little foul-mouthed but strangely polite as well; he was like a walking contradiction. But, regardless of that, Eren looked forward to bumping into the man again and hopefully soon. He wasn't quite sure why, but he found himself intrigued by the older man. The kind of genuine interest he hasn't felt in some time and he wanted to pursue it. Something told him having Levi as a neighbor wouldn't be boring.

\- ♥ -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long this update took. I've actually had the first 5 chapters of this fic pre-written for awhile now but haven't had the time to edit and link stuff. 
> 
> Have some pre-slash Ereri fluff, though.  
> Tracking this fic on tumblr under the tag **Fic: Colour of My Love** and **Fic: ComL**.  
>  Y'all can also follow me: **sailorheichou.tumblr.com** -finger guns-


	4. Chapter 4

Eren was quickly learning that Levi was a quiet sort of neighbor. Aside from the occasional sound of moving furniture, there was silence from the other side of the wall. He sometimes saw Levi coming or going from the apartment, wearing neatly ironed button up shirts and slacks, sometimes paired with a nicely fitted blazer or suit jacket, but never a tie. Lately, Eren wondered what the shorter man did for a living. Judging by the nice car he was driving-- Mercedes Benz S-Class of all things, too-- he could only assume the man must have a rather high paying job. But what? A lawyer, maybe? He could see Levi being a Lawyer. The man sure acted like one sometimes. The image of Levi standing before a jury, in a court room, was a rather fitting one so maybe he wasn't too far off the mark. But, then again, when he thought about it, if Levi was a lawyer, he hardly doubted the man would have such a normal schedule. Levi was usually always home in the evenings, and as far as Eren could tell, was never out late. So, then what else could he be?

It was something he pondered, even while working evenings at the Lounge. Armin and Mikasa had caught him while distracted on several occasions, the duo slowly growing concerned for their friend when Eren seemed to be thinking a little too deeply while busing some tables. That was the thing about Eren, despite being a co-owner alongside Armin and Mikasa, he was always helping out whenever they needed extra hands. Someone called out suddenly because they're sick? Not a problem, because Eren could cover for them. You need to switch shifts because something came up? Eren would be the first to volunteer. It was strange, seeing as how growing up the brunet had never been much of a team player but now as an adult, he had learned that sometimes you needed to work together with people in order to achieve some things. As a co-owner, he was extremely responsible and efficient but not so much when it came to taking care of himself, personally. Aside from his work clothes, Eren's closet was mostly filled with old pairs of jeans and t-shirts that had probably seen better days; the occasional long-sleeved shirt for when it got cooler out and a couple of thick coats for when it got too cold to even take a breath without wincing because your lungs stung from the sheer intensity of the chilled winter air.

"Eren?" called Mikasa worriedly. "Is everything alright?" 

Eren finished wiping down one of the tables, once the dirty glasses had been collected and properly deposited into the sink behind the bar to be washed and dried. "Yeah, I'm good. Why?"

Armin joined Mikasa at her side, the duo standing on either side of the brunet who finally stopped wiping down the table in order to glance questioningly between them. "Well, it's just that... you seem distracted lately. Is there anything you have on your mind that you wanna talk about?" 

Straightening, the taller man flashed an easy smile at his two oldest friends, hoping that alone would be enough to reassure them that he was fine. "No? Come on, guys. This is me we're talking about. When do I ever keep anything to myself when something is actually wrong?" he snorts. 

Mikasa and Armin exchanged glances. "I guess... that's true." the blond agreed. "Still, is there another reason for why you're so distracted? It's kind of worrying, seeing you all quiet and not reacting to Jean's insults." 

"Oh, that?" an eye roll followed Eren's question. "Why bother getting all riled up over that idiot's crappy insults? I've got shit to do, ya know." 

"Wow," Mikasa deadpanned. "Where was _THIS_ Eren in High School when he nearly got expelled for getting into a fist fight when Jean called him a Mama's boy?" 

"Right?" snickered Armin. "It's so nice seeing him finally act his own age." 

Frowning, Eren threw the damp rag he was using to wipe down tables over his shoulder, a faint, fresh lemon scent following it's wake as he shot his two best friends very unimpressed looks. "Ha Ha," he says sarcastically. "You're both a couple of assholes. Why is it so weird to see me act like the mature adult I am?" 

"Because as far as we both know, you still live like a college student, Eren." snorted Mikasa. "Your mom keeps texting me asking to convince you to finally shave that beard or whatever you call that shit on your face, and cut your hair." 

"Are you serious? Mom texted you about that?" 

"Yeah. She's been asking all week."

"Actually, she asked if I could take you shopping for a new wardrobe." Armin added thoughtfully. "I mean, I agree, you definitely need new clothes but I wondered why the sudden interest in your wardrobe. If you ask me, it should have been done years ago." 

"Hey!" Eren cries indignantly. "What's wrong with wearing t-shirts and jeans? They're comfortable and everybody fucking wears them. Why am I the only one who gets shit for doing it?" 

"Because you've had the same fucking clothes since College?" Jean butts in. He was currently holding down the bar all on his own, seeing as Ymir had gone upstairs to restock their supply of Vodka. That was the good thing about Armin's grandfather owning the building above the Lounge. They used it as a large storehouse and they were very well stocked. "Sheesh, who knew you were so cheap, Jaeger. Loosen the purse strings a little, yeah?" 

"Shut the hell up, Tonto. Nobody asked you." 

"You wanna say that to my face--!" 

"Guys." Armin warns. "We're operating on business hours here. Save the verbal barbs for after hours." A lot of people wouldn't peg him as the type but Armin could be a real hard ass when it came to professionalism in the workplace. Sure, he would allow some minor things to slide but things like open usage of cell phones was a no-no. Luckily, everybody who worked for the 104th played by the rules, mostly. Ymir liked to toe that line every now and again but that was nothing new. 

"Anyway," sighs Eren, moving on to yet another table that had recently been vacated. "There's nothing wrong. If I'm distracted, it's only because I'm thinking about something stupid but it's nothing serious." 

"Stupid like what?" asks Mikasa. Her dark eyes were keeping a close watch on the front entrance, even though Reiner was covering that area. Bertholdt, another security guy, was covering the back entrance. 

Reiner and Bert were... strange, to say the least. They mostly kept to themselves, even during work parties and dinners, but they were alright. Apparently, they were close to one of the Lounge's frequent performers. Annie had been performing her music for the Lounge's crowd for the last three years and was sort of well known locally, but just like Reiner and Bert, Annie liked to keep to herself although, surprisingly, Eren had gotten to know her quite well over the last few years considering they sometimes teamed up and performed together. Unlike Annie, Eren was more well-known with the Lounge's regulars but that was fine with him. It wasn't like he was out for some type of music career or anything. It was just something he loved doing as a hobby. Annie had brought up the offer of teaming up with her permanently and going on tour with her around the country, but Eren always declined. Still, it was always nice of her to offer. Annie wasn't an easy one to impress, let alone talk to. 

"It's nothing." Eren shrugs, then moves to start collecting the dirty glasses and dumping out any half-full glasses into the gray bin he carried with him over to the next table. "Just... I ran into my new neighbor again a few days back."

"That's right," Armin nodded as he seemed to think back to an earlier conversation. "You did have someone new moving into your building. Wow. So, how are they?" 

"... Well, his name is Levi and he's... uh..." 

"Yeah?" presses Mikasa.

"I don't know, he's kinda weird but in a funny way." shrugs the brunet again. He was starting to feel like he was on the hot seat here and was growing slightly uncomfortable with all the sudden questions regarding his neighbor Levi. There was nothing for him to feel strange about, seeing as he barely even knew the guy, yet Eren felt a weird sense of embarrassment talking about the man behind his back. Like a little kid talking about their school crush to all their friends or something. "I've only met him twice but he seems like a decent guy. Kinda blunt and straightforward but that's not like it's a bad thing. He just... says what's on his mind." He suddenly remembered how the older raven had commented on his facial scruff and in a wave of self-consciousness, Eren rubbed at his unshaven face again. "Actually, he also told me that I should probably shave. Something about me looking like a hobo or something." 

Armin snorts out a laugh, earning him an irritated glance from Eren. "Sorry, sorry." he says, waving his hands in front of him in a poor attempt to placate the brunet. "It's just, when you said he was blunt I didn't think you meant _that_ blunt." 

"Yeah, he's the real fucking deal." Eren scoffs. "Anyway, aside from the sometimes weird shit he says, he seems okay. Doesn't make a lot of noise, keeps to himself for the most part. The only time I ever see him is when he's coming home from work in the evenings when I'm on my way here. Or, if I'm up early enough, when he leaves for work in the mornings." 

"Hmm." 

Mikasa had a slightly sour look on her face, though Eren couldn't understand why. Then, "So? How old is this guy, anyway? Is he married? Single? What's his deal?" came her rapid-fire line of questioning. 

Blinking at her owlishly, Eren can't help but give a nervous chuckle because this was just like Mikasa to overreact over something so small. "Chill, okay? I don't know much about the guy. Like I said, I only met him twice and the second time around it was kind of hard to ask for his life story when he was busy helping me pick up my laundry that had fallen everywhere." 

"Your laundry?" Armin questions curiously, one perfectly shaped blond eyebrow lifting as ocean blue eyes regards the brunet. 

"Huh? Oh, yeah, he's got a dog and I guess he tried running away or something and ended up knocking me down. I was on my way back from doing laundry so my hands were full." 

"A dog?" Frowns Mikasa. "Was it big? Did you get hurt anywhere?" suddenly she was stepping closer and studying Eren's entire form closely. 

"I'm fine." he groans, attempting to swat her away when she starts feeling around his body with her hands. "The dog is big but not that big, okay? He's not mean. More dopey than anything I guess and hyperactive." 

"You're such a mother hen, Mikasa." grinned Armin. 

Frowning, the woman huffed before turning to walk off. Eren and Armin watched her leave before exchanging sheepish smiles. They knew Mikasa was just concerned but sometimes her mothering was overwhelming. Eren couldn't tell if her little habit had gotten worse since high school or not. Sometimes, it felt like she mothered him more now as a grown ass man than she ever did when he was a teenager. But, it wasn't only him, Armin also received the same treatment so when it came to understanding his exasperation with Mikasa, Armin was really the only one who could relate. Though, the blond was much more tolerant to her mothering than Eren had everbeen. 

"She'll get over it." Armin reminds him. Which was true. "But, sounds like you're more than just a little interested in this guy, Eren." 

"Armin," Eren sighs heavily. "Don't start making this out to be a bigger thing than it actually is. Yeah, I'm interested in Levi but--"

" _Oh_ ," Sang the blond teasingly. "So, it's Levi, hm? Barely know the guy and already on a first name basis. Wow." 

"Armin--" Eren warns. 

"Tell me more about _Levi_. Is he hot? What am I saying? He has to be, if you're obsessing over him like this." 

"Armin--!"

"You've always preferred the muscular types so I'm guessing he probably has some nice, toned arms. I remember you mooned over Reiner for weeks when Mikasa first hired him because he was built like a tank. You should have seen the way your eyes used to light up every time he passed your way. So cute, like a little kid in a candy store. Well, I guess I can't blame you--"

" _ARMIN!_ " Eren nearly shouts. The blond was just rambling on his own at this point and the brunet could feel his face absolutely flaming because he knew everything Armin was saying was true. Still, that didn't mean he had to bring up embarrassing shit from the past. "Stop. I know what you're trying to do and your evil little mind games aren't going to work." 

"Mind games?" the blond said innocently. "Eren, please, I have no idea what you're talking about." 

He stared back at his best friend dubiously. Suspicious teal eyes challenged the blatantly clueless look in deep, sapphire-blues until eventually Eren gave up because, honestly, he was no match for Armin. The little shit was the smartest guy he had ever met and was probably secretly a super villain plotting to dominate the world by sleeping with one willing person at a time until he had conquered all of their bedrooms. Yeah, that's right, Eren and Mikasa were painfully aware of Armin's rather active and busy sex life. It wasn't as though it was a secret, most of their friends knew but seeing as Armin had such an outright innocent look about him, some people like Jean had a harder time believing them when they commented on his sex life. 

"Whatever," grumbles Eren. "I'm not going to bother trying to argue with you. You're clearly convinced that I'm already hot for the guy... but to answer your earlier question..." pausing, Eren felt his cheeks warm again as he recalled Levi's toned forearms and biceps and his muscled neck. "Yes, dude is fucking built like a brick wall, probably, judging by his arms." 

Armin looked almost giddy, his eyes sparking with interest that had Eren feeling a bit uneasy all of a sudden. "Really?" smirked Armin. "Alright. I'll stop pestering you." the brunet watched his friend walk off with a casual air about him, yet for some reason Eren felt like he had just signed his death certificate. Armin was planning something and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what. He just hoped he wouldn't regret telling Armin about Levi. Something told him he would but there wasn't much he could do about it now.

\- ♥ -

Eren arrived home a little later than usual, thanks to a sudden influx of customers which probably wasn't strange, considering it was a Saturday night and Annie had performed that evening. Regardless, the clean up was a little more strenuous than usual and Eren had stayed behind to help Sasha, Connie and one of their other servers (Samuel) clean up tables and mop up any messes left behind. Needless to say, he was exhausted upon returning to his apartment building, but as he was on his way up, he bumped into none other than the source of all his distracted thoughts recently.

Levi looked like he was about to take Backpack for a walk, judging by the harness around the dog's chest and body and the bright red leash attached to the hook on the back. The raven was wearing a baby blue sleeveless hoodie that looked a good three sizes too big for him and dark grey jogging pants. They were going opposite ways on the stairwell, Eren about to go up and Levi coming down. Backpack saw him first, seeing as Levi had earbuds on and was thumbing at the screen of his phone. Excitedly, Backpack charged forward seeming to forget he was leashed and in result, he ended up tugging on Levi's hand that was gripping the leash tightly jerking the man forward down the last step on the landing. Not having expected the dog to come charging straight for him, Eren froze but didn't register Levi tripping over the last step causing him to barrel straight into Eren's chest face first. 

"Holy shit--!" he breathed out in surprise, his arms having outstretched forward once his brain had caught up with what was happening and noticed Levi already barreling into him. Now he was just standing there awkwardly with his arms wrapped around Levi, the man still pressed into his chest while Backpack jumped around eagerly, his leash tangling around Eren's legs. "Uhh... you alright?" was all he could manage to ask, seeing as he was still just a little shocked at what had happened. 

"Ugh, fucking dog..." he heard Levi mumbling, his words muffled because his face was still pressed into the material of the [black button up shirt](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/52/56/2d/52562d3a19d89cc9b7a7e419031c9d0e.jpg) Eren was wearing. Finally, when Levi started using his hands to grab hold of Eren's forearms to straight up, the brunet loosened his grip around the man and tried to help him stand, though it was sort of difficult to do when his legs were all tied up thanks to Backpack's leash. "Yeah, I'm just fucking great, thanks for asking." came the surly response to his earlier question. 

Eren hadn't realized just how short Levi really was, or how small he was, until the man was in his arms pressed right up into his chest. Eren was a solid Six-foot tall and Levi's head barely reached his chin. It probably wasn't the best time to be taking note of the height difference, let alone finding it just a little bit amusing but it was kind of inevitable. Levi's short height couldn't really be denied when they were wrapped up in each other like this. Sharp blue-gray eyes trailed up to see whose chest he had just face planted into and when Levi seemed to register that it was Eren, his scowl slightly smoothed out, though not by much. He still had that crease between his brows and Eren wondered if it ever smoothed out, just like the rest of his expression. 

"Um, would it be a bad time to use a really horrible, really cliche line right now?" Eren asks nervously. Oh hell, what the fuck was he saying? Why did he just ask that stupid as shit question? Of course it was a bad time to--

A soft snort of laughter stopped his racing thoughts and then Levi was actually smirking as he pulled away from Eren's steadying grasp. That crease between his brows did smooth out, if only briefly as the raven straightened up and tried to untangle Backpack's leash from around Eren's legs. Not for the first or last time, there was that strange fluttering in his chest at just the sound of that soft laugh, and something told him Levi wasn't the type of person to smile or smirk a lot. In a lot of ways, the man reminded him of Mikasa and Annie, in the sense that they were intimidating people upon first glance, along with their standoffish demeanor. So, was it just the excitement of knowing that he had managed to get such a hard to approach person to crack a smile and actually laugh? Or was Armin on to something? Oh, fuck, he just noticed how built Levi's arms were. The bastard was wearing a sleeveless hoodie for god's fucking sake. Just stab him in the heart and leave him for dead already, because this type of torture wasn't even fair. 

Once he had managed to free Eren's legs, the brunet was stepping aside and chuckling when Backpack tried following after him, but Levi's grip on the leash stopped him from going any further. "Let me guess. You were going to say something stupid like 'We've gotta stop meeting this way.' right?" came Levi's sarcastic quip. 

Feeling his face flush, the brunet couldn't even muster the courage to look his neighbor in the eyes because Levi had nailed it on the head exactly. "... Um." 

"Fucking hell, are you serious? I actually guessed it correctly?" 

"Well, you gotta admit it would have been funny!" defends Eren. 

"Stupid. The word you're looking for is stupid." Levi fell silent, his eyes once again taking the time to assess the taller brunet standing before him. Eren could feel Levi's gaze on him, heavy and judgmental. He wondered, briefly, before killing that train of thought almost as soon as it entered his mind, just what did Levi think of him? Clearly, he didn't have a very high opinion of him seeing as he openly called Eren a Hobo to his face and on their second meeting, too. "I see you're not dressed like you just rolled out of bed, for once." His eyes swept up the length of Eren's form, taking in the nicely fitted black denim jeans and the black ankle boots that were just a little scuffed in the front but otherwise not in too bad of a shape. "Not bad. You should dress like this more often. Maybe then, people wouldn't think you're some punk ass college kid and see you as the grown ass twenty-eight-year-old you are." 

"Gee, thanks for not saying I look like a hobo again." Eren snarks back. "But, this is just what I wear for work. I may look like a punk ass college kid who just rolled out of bed on any other given time of the day but I at least know that I have to look presentable for work." 

He watched as Levi simply shrugged off his returned sarcasm, "It's just a suggestion. This is the first time I'm seeing you wearing something other than just a loose t-shirt and torn blue jeans. Hell, you even have your hair tied back all nice and neat and shit." 

"Well, yeah, I kind of have to for sanitary reasons." 

"You work at a restaurant or something?" 

"No." 

"Then?" 

Eren hesitates to tell Levi what it is he actually did for a living, seeing as he still didn't know what Levi even fucking did, let alone the guy's age. "First," he starts, facing the raven properly, his arms crossing over his chest. "Tell me what you do for a living. Quid pro quo, right?" 

"Oh?" Levi seems to perk up, his eyes almost lighting up with interest. "That's a fancy term. Here I was thinking you were just some dumb brat." 

"Wow," Eren laughs, astonished at just how rude Levi could be. Still, despite being disrespected to his face, Eren couldn't help but feel anything but offended or angry. It wasn't like it was anything new, people underestimated him all his life and he had always proved them wrong, so why was this any different? Well, okay, there was a difference and the difference was he was actually enjoying proving Levi's initial assumptions about him wrong. "You can be a real asshole, you know that?"

"Tell me something I don't already know, kid. But, okay, I guess it's only fair I tell you what I do, since I asked you first." Backpack was clearly getting restless as he paced around in circles, chasing his fluffy tail until he got dizzy and eventually sat down by Levi's side panting heavily. "I'm a couples therapist." 

"Oh." 

"What?"

"N-No, nothing. I just... wasn't expecting you to be a therapist of all things." 

"What did you expect me to do?" 

Shrugging, Eren toed at the cement with his shoe feeling a little embarrassed as he spoke. "I don't know, like, a lawyer or something like that." he heard Levi scoff. "Maybe some hotshot businessman." another scoff, louder this time. "You don't seem like the type of person to be a therapist." 

"Okay, you know what I do, now what the fuck is it that you do for a living -- and I swear to god, if you tell me you work at some shitty internet cafe or something, I'll kick your ass myself."

"Don't worry," laughs Eren, his hands coming up in a playfully defensive manner. "I don't work at an internet cafe. I actually co-own a Lounge with a couple of my close friends." 

"... Seriously?" Levi asks, a dubious look tossed Eren's way. "I wouldn't take you as someone who owns a small business." 

Eren shrugs again, "Yeah, well, it wasn't exactly what I set out to do, but it seemed like a good idea at the time and so far it's been paying off. We've got a nice little business set up a couple of blocks from here on S. Rose street." 

"Have I ever heard of this little Lounge of yours?" asked Levi, sounding just the tiniest bit curious. 

At his question, Eren smirked. "Ever heard of the 104th Lounge?" Levi seemed to take a moment to actually think about that before answering. 

"Not that I can remember." 

"Yeah, I figured as much." nodded Eren. "That's alright. Our Lounge is kind of exclusive anyway." 

"How so?" 

"Well, for starters, it's a little difficult to find if you aren't specifically told about it's whereabouts." he explained. "If you can find your way to it, then you're welcome. If you can't find it, then, that's too bad." 

"That... seems like it would be bad for business." the raven points out. "If the place is that hard to find, doesn't that mean you're losing out on revenue?"

"No." Eren could see that he was already starting to annoy the older man with his vague answers. It was evident in the way his brows furrowed more and more, crinkling in the center.

"Okay, what the actual fuck does that even mean? How is a business that's hard to find thriving when nobody can fucking find it?" 

"Because, word of mouth can be a powerful thing." Elaborates Eren. "The ones who do happen to stumble across our little establishment always end up telling their friends and because there's a mystery factor to a Lounge that's hidden, it attracts plenty of curious little adventurers and those curious adventurers who happen to find us tell their friends and the chain continues on and on. You see?" 

"I see," nodded Levi. "That's not a bad little set up, actually. I'm... kind of impressed." 

At hearing the older man's compliment, Eren couldn't help but smile widely. "Not bad, right? Our place hasn't been around very long but considering most start up businesses die within a couple of years, we've had a pretty damn good run with five years this year." Backpack lied down next to Levi's feet at some point, falling asleep for a brief time before he was lifting his head and yawning widely. 

"I'll say but I guess this explains your weird fucking schedule." Glancing down at his dog, Levi seemed to remember that he was on his way somewhere. "Shit, I nearly forgot that we were supposed to go for our morning jog." 

"At 4am?" yawned Eren. Damn, he didn't realize that it had already passed 4:00. He had been talking to Levi longer than he thought. 

"It's a routine I've had for the last ten years. I'm not about to break it now just because I moved somewhere new." 

"Damn, well, alright. Guess I'll see you later." 

"Probably." Levi says with a shrug of his shoulder. As he geared up to turn and start his jog, an idea suddenly popped into Eren's head and before he could even debate on whether it was a good or bad idea, his hand was already shooting out to grab Levi by the shoulder, his fingertips coming into contact with his slightly sticky skin, thanks to the humidity outside. Levi turned back to face him, a slightly exasperated look on his face. "What?" he sighs. 

"Uh, um, well, I was wondering if maybe you would be interested in checking out the Lounge." Well, fuck, this wasn't in the least bit awkward, except that it totally was. God, when was he going to stop all this impulsive shit? It only ever got him in trouble. "I mean, I don't know if you're into that sort of thing but I promise 104th isn't your typical bar or club. We have rules that keep out your usual loud, rowdy crowds and because it's hard to find, it's never too crowded, unless Annie's playing." Belatedly, he realized that he had forgot to mention how they had live performances there on certain nights of the week. "Oh, yeah, we also have live performances by local artists and musicians. Nothing crazy like hardcore rock or pop. Mostly, it's indie stuff." He was slightly worried that he was rambling now, which he tended to do when he was nervous, which he was, because this was almost like he was asking Levi out or something, which he wasn't... was he? 

"... Maybe." came Levi's vague answer. "I'm not usually for bars or, well, people in general but I guess I could check it out sometime." 

"Great!" smiles Eren, the relief that washed over him was so overwhelming. He hadn't realized the breath he had been holding in all this time and now he felt just a little winded as he grinned from ear to ear. "I hope I'll see you around there soon." 

"Sure, we'll see." 

Eren stayed by the landing as Levi finally popped his earbuds back in, Backpack giving a sad sort of whine as he was lead away from Eren but the brunet was quickly forgotten when Levi started up a light jog and the dog was doing the same, that dopey grin on his face with his tongue lolled out to the side. It might have been silly of him, to be getting all giddy at the idea of Levi possibly keeping good on his agreement to visit the Lounge one of these days, but Eren seriously hoped the man would. He couldn't really explain it, but something about Levi just stirred something inside of him--something that he has not felt in such a long time. No, that wasn't it, exactly. This feeling was entirely new he realized, and it was mildly terrifying. Still, terrifying or not, Eren wanted to try and explore the reason for why Levi evoked such a strange new feeling within him. He could start by trying to at least befriend the man and hopefully along the way he would find something he's been looking for all this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I would like to apologize for how long it took me to update this fic again. I've actually had this and the next chapter written up for awhile but my life got pretty busy and crazy. So, yeah. Sorry dudes. 
> 
> Secondly. I needed some cute ereri interaction because the latest chapter of SnK absolutely ruined me. 


	5. Chapter 5

"So, he invited you to his bar?" 

"It's not a bar. It's a Lounge." 

"Potato, Po-tah-to." 

Levi glared up at the grown ass woman sitting on top of his kitchen counter like her ass actually belonged there. Hanji seemed oblivious to the murderous intent oozing off of her oldest friend as she crossed her leg over her knee, her feet dangling over the edge of the counter. Her russet eyes scanned Levi's new apartment, drinking in the powder gray color of the walls with white trim, it's surprisingly high ceilings and spacious rooms. From outside, the building itself didn't look nearly as big as it was inside, but she found herself liking it regardless. 

"Anyway, I'm probably not gonna go." 

"What!?" squawked the brunette. "But why not?" she whined. "I wanted to check this place out too, and meet your new neighbor." 

"No." came Levi's firm response. "Absolutely not. Whatever it is you're thinking, stop."

Hanji made an affronted noise at the raven's accusatory words. "What ever are you talking about, Munchkin? I wasn't thinking about doing anything. I just really wanna see who this neighbor of yours is. He sounds interesting." 

"Then you fucking go to his Lounge because I'm not." Finally having just about enough of Hanji sitting on surfaces where asses did not belong, Levi approached her and began swatting her away. "And when the fuck are you going to get your filthy ass off my counter top? I prepare my food here and I would very fucking much like to know that my kitchen surfaces aren't covered in ass germs." 

"I take offense to that, sir!" gasped Hanji. "My ass is squeaky clean!" 

"Like I'm going to take your fucking word for it." 

Hanji watched as the shorter raven duck somewhere behind the counter, the sound of cabinets opening and closing could be heard before he was reappearing with a spray bottle of cleaning solution in his hand. Levi misted over the counter with the spray before walking over to grab a couple of napkins to wipe it down. 

"So, how are things going between you and the big guy?" she asked. Hanji took to leaning against the counter instead this time. 

Levi was quiet for a long moment, clearly focused on his task until he had finished. "Things are the same. Why do you ask?" 

Warm, brown eyes regarded her raven-haired friend as he went about the motions of disposing of the used napkins and putting the bottle of cleaning spray away in robotic motions. He was so clearly uncomfortable with her suddenly bringing up this topic and for a brief moment, Hanji almost felt guilty, but it was something that had been concerning her for days now and as a fellow therapist and a good friend, she wanted to help Levi resolve his issues. 

"Well, last time you sounded so frustrated. I just wanted to get an update on everything." 

Levi shrugged, his eyes determinedly avoiding making direct contact with Hanji's studious stare. "There's nothing to update you on because nothing's changed." 

Of course, Hanji wasn't buying his halfhearted answers and just like usual, she could read him like an open book. "Levi." she called, her tone of voice uncharacteristically solemn. Finally, Levi caved and met her worried eyes. "Talk to me. Please." 

"Hanji, there's--"

"Don't try feeding me that 'There's-nothing-wrong-everything-is-fine' bullshit!" She was quick to scold. "I'm a professional Therapist, Levi. It's kind of my job to pick up on things like this between couples." 

"You're a sex therapist." scoffed Levi. "It's _MY_ fucking job to pick up on this shit." 

"Semantics, Levi. It's still part of my job description to pick up on signs of trouble between couples in long-term relationships." 

"There isn't any trouble with me and Erwin, Hanji. We're fucking fine." 

This earned a bark of laughter from the brunette. "Oh, okay, you're fine, huh? I guess I was just imagining it when you told me how unhappy you are last time we talked about this." 

Hearing her blunt words, Levi fell silent, his hands curling into tight fists as his teeth clenched together tightly. His eyes dropped from Hanji's accusing stare to the floor beneath his feet. If it had been anyone else telling him this shit, Levi would have knocked them flat on their ass so fast, but since it was Hanji he had no other option but to shut up and let her give him a talking to because there was no one else in the world who knew Levi as well as Erwin did. 

At his telling silence, Hanji sighed, that guilt from earlier returning. "Levi, I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound like I'm attacking you with this but I need you to know that I'm not blind and neither is Erwin." 

Levi remained silent, his fists held tightly at his sides. "... Is it... really that fucking obvious?" he asked, voice firm but quiet. 

"Oh, honey." Her heart shattered at the sight of one of her dearest friends looking so small and vulnerable before her. Levi was one of the strongest people she knew, in many ways, but he was also the most emotional and sensitive despite his best efforts to hide this fact. In just a few short steps, the brunette was approaching the raven and wrapping her long arms around his muscular frame. "I'm sorry but yes, it really is that obvious." 

Hesitantly, Levi raised his arms to wrap them around Hanji's back, his face nestled into her neck as he breathed her in. The taller woman had always been a rock for him to lean on and in a lot of ways, the only other person he had ever come to trust besides Erwin, so it said a lot. 

"Hanji... what am I doing wrong?" he asked, voice no louder than a soft whisper. 

The brunette stayed silent, her arms tightening around Levi's shoulders as she continued to hold him closely. She had known Levi for a long time, Erwin even longer, had been there from the very beginning of their relationship and knew better than anyone just how much Levi and Erwin cared for one another but in recent years, something had changed and it was obviously causing a rift between the two of them. 

"I don't know yet, munchkin, but we're going to figure this out, okay?" 

They stayed holding each other like that, Hanji stroking Levi's hair softly and the raven allowing himself to be vulnerable for just a few moments. It was a luxury he couldn't afford, usually, and not with many people either. He knew that he could rely on Hanji to be there for him when he really needed it and that's why he knew that he could trust that she would keep good on her word of helping him figure things out with Erwin.

"So... this may not be the best time to ask, but... have you changed your mind about visiting Eren at his Lounge?" she asked and in one swift moment, she had completely shattered the mood. 

Sighing heavily, Levi began to struggle to get out of her arms, but this only made her arms wrap all the more tightly around him. "Hanji, fucking let me go, you crazy bitch." 

"Levi, pleeeeeese, say we can go!" 

"Tch! I said let go, damn it!" taking drastic measures, the raven jabbed his middle and index fingers into the brunette's side sharply causing her to yelp loudly, her arms finally releasing him. Stepping away, Levi began smoothing away any wrinkles or creases left behind on his shirt.

"Ow, that hurt!' whined the brunette. 

Carding a hand through his fringe to fix it, Levi hesitated to answer her. "... Fine." he eventually acquiesced. "We'll go, but there's no guarantee we'll even find the fucking place. Eren says they intentionally made it hard to find, though I still don't really see the point in that." 

"Oh, we'll find it." Snorted Hanji, her hand already whipping out her cell phone as she thumbed at the screen. "Don't forget who you're talking to, babe. I know everyone who know's anyone. I'll have specific instructions to this place within the hour." 

Shaking his head, Levi left Hanji to her own devices as he decided on changing. Glancing at the digital clock on the stove in his kitchen, Levi noted that Erwin should be stopping by this evening, like he always did, but since he and Hanji were going out there would be no point in him coming. Entering his bedroom, Levi found his phone where he had left it, plugged in and charging by the bedside table. Glancing around the room, Levi curled his lip up in disgust taking note of the boxes he still needed to unpack. For the most part, he had all the most important clothes he needed unpacked but when it came to the rest of his boxes, Levi dreaded the thought of having to iron out all the clothes that probably got wrinkled from days stuffed inside boxes. Not that he minded ironing or unpacking but it would take up a sizable amount of his day and he realizes now that he should have done this yesterday, considering it was Saturday. 

Grabbing his phone, Levi decided it would be best to at least tell Erwin not to bother coming by since he wouldn't be home anyway. He hesitated with his thumb over the lock screen, debating on whether to text or call Erwin. Text was faster but Levi usually despised texting, unless it was with someone he really, really had no desire to talk to in person. In the end, he settled for text. After that awkward talk with Hanji that suddenly turned pretty serious, the raven realized it was probably best not to call Erwin. He didn't think he could handle the other man's disinterested tone of voice when he told him he had to cancel on their nightly dinner plans.

> **New Message: Erwin**  
>  Hey, Hanji and I are gonna go out somewhere tonight. Rain check on dinner.

Tapping the send button, Levi stared at the log of stale responses and monosyllabic replies over the past few days. He scrolled up and up and up until he had eventually gone through weeks of this shit, a sour feeling settling in his stomach at the realization that even their phone conversation, either text or call, were the same. There just wasn't any interest on either part, nor was there any attempts at making an effort to fix it. So, just what the hell were he and Erwin still doing, then? His phone buzzed silently in his hand, alerting him to Erwin's reply.

> **Erwin - Today - 6:32 pm**  
>  Alright.

That was it. That was all it ever was. Just a series of 'Okay' or 'Alright' never anything more or less and yet Levi found himself undisturbed by this. That was weird, wasn't it? Shouldn't he be making more of a fuss about his partner of the last eight years sudden disinterest in their relationship? No, it wasn't a sudden disinterest at all. It was something that has been festering for the last couple of years, in fact. Levi wasn't oblivious to their problems, but instead, he couldn't understand them. He and Erwin were perfect together, had been perfect together for a long time; everyone else seemed to think so as well, including their friends and family, but yet things had become stale and lifeless--stagnant, even. They hardly talked about anything and Levi wondered if it was because there just wasn't anything to talk about anymore? After eight years together, had they finally learned all their was to know about one another? Was there simply nothing more to discover and explore? Probably not. They both knew each other inside and out but something told Levi that this wasn't how it was supposed to be, and it wasn't the first time he's thought about it either.

"Levi! I'm gonna pop out and head home for a bit to change, okay?" 

"Yeah, sure." he called back from the bedroom. From what he could tell, Hanji was already opening the front door to leave. 

"Be back in a bit. You better wear something nice!" 

"Shut up and go, four-eyes." 

Hanji's cackling laughter could be heard as she finally left the apartment, leaving Levi to his own devices as the man sighed and began rifling through his many boxes of unpacked clothes to find something besides his work shirts and pants. Belatedly, as he searched for something to wear, Levi realized that he had never asked Eren if this place of his had a dress code or not. Thinking back to that night when he and Eren had talked by the stairwell, Levi recalled the brunet's attire. That had been the first time he had seen Eren wearing decent fucking clothes and not a baggy t-shirt and jeans. Judging by the slightly dressy black button up and black jeans Eren had been wearing, Levi guessed he could probably get away with something business-casual. As he moved on to search a different box, he briefly wondered if he was perhaps overthinking all of this just a bit. It wasn't like he was trying to impress anybody, right? So, then, why was he putting in more effort into finding an outfit to visit this brat's Lounge than any effort he's put into his own relationship in the last year? 

Shaking his thoughts away, Levi scolded himself aloud. "Don't start overthinking shit, Levi. You'll only create problems that aren't actually there." In the end, he reasoned with himself that he was only putting in so much effort because Hanji would probably hassle him about dressing like an old man again. Yes, that was definitely the only reason he was doing this. Not because of some bright eyed idiot who couldn't shave to save his life.

\- ♥ -

"Don't you dare say a fucking word, Hanji."

"What?" snickered the brunette. They were currently on their way to Eren's Lounge, walking the two blocks to S. Rose street. "I didn't say anything."

"No, but you were fucking thinking it." snapped Levi. "This [outfit](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/fc/85/dd/fc85ddef42ec7804cd8a7c0a3b0f65fe.jpg) was the only thing I could put together on short notice." 

"Hey, I think you look great, hon." Shrugging, Hanji looped her arm through Levi's. In contrast to Levi's all black attire, Hanji was wearing soft yellow tank top, paired with white chino pants and her favorite pair of white Tom's slip-on shoes. Being the dead middle of summer, even the nights were incredibly warm despite the sun no longer beating down on the world. "So, I called Nanaba and asked about this place. Surprisingly, she's actually heard of it but never been there, although she knows a couple of friends who've frequented the 104th so she got the info from them." 

"Alright, so, where the fuck is this place then?" 

"It should be..." pausing, Hanji scanned the intersection where they needed to cross in order to reach S. Rose. "Ah, she said it should be that building right there on the corner! The brick one with all the ivy covering it." 

"Seriously?" Levi scoffed. "That was easy. But, it doesn't look like a bar or a Lounge." 

"Yeah, that's not the actual place. Apparently, it's got a secret entrance to the real Lounge, like a speakeasy or something." 

After crossing the intersection, the duo came up on the empty parking lot of the brick building. Just as Levi had assumed, the place looked for all the world empty, not a single light on or showing through the windows. Stranger still, the parking lot was pitch dark, with just the street lamps from the opposite side of the street giving them minimal light to find their way and the lack of cars had Levi curious. 

"Where the fuck is this place supposed to be, exactly? Do people just fucking Uber their way here?"

Snorting, Hanji ignored his comment and pulled out her phone from her back pocket. "Alright, let's see... Nanaba said... we need to look for a gated arch on the side of the building! Let's go!" 

Grabbing him by the arm, Levi was then dragged along around the building in search of the gated arch, which wasn't too difficult to find. They came across a rather large and intimidating looking black iron gate, the arch covered in ivy just like the rest of the building making it only slightly hard to find, but it looked like someone had left one half of the gate open. Past the gated arch, there was a red-bricked path paving it's way through what looked like a garden and Levi and Hanji took some time to appreciate the foliage, seeing as it was obviously well taken care of, someone even going so far as to add soft-white fairy lights throughout various parts of the garden giving it a far more ethereal look. There was an old stone fountain that was dried up, but the vibrant red and white roses that surrounded it only added to it's beauty. 

"Wow," breathed Hanji. "It's like something out of a fairy tale." 

"No fucking shit. What is this, the Secret Garden?" 

"I think it definitely could be." giggled the brunette as she slowly began her search for this so-called secret entrance to the Lounge. "Now, Nanaba said once we were inside the gate, we needed to look for some graffiti art of two swords and a shield somewhere on the building and that should be where the entrance is." 

"Why? Is the wall going to open up for us or something? All I see is flowers and hedges and more ivy vines everywhere." 

"Look!" she stage whispered. "Look with your special eyes!" 

Rolling his eyes, Levi decided it would probably be best to go and look on his own. He loved Hanji but there was only so much of her he could take before he was dying to strangle her at some point. He took his time searching, taking in the various types and breeds of flowers he passed on his way. He didn't know much about plants or types of flowers, aside from your standard ones, but even he could tell that plenty of time and care had gone into tending this garden. It hardly seemed like the type of place to put a Lounge but he supposed that was the point. To his surprise, once he rounded the corner of the building, his eyes caught a glimpse of that art they were looking for, tagged on the brick like a place marker. Raising a curious brow, Levi took note of the old stone steps that led down into what he assumed was a basement, a heavy looking metal door waiting at the foot of the steps. 

"Hey," he called back to Hanji. "I think I found our secret entrance." Levi heard Hannji gasp loudly, and then her quick, sure footfalls as she followed the sound of his voice. Once the brunette rounded the corner, Hanji beamed from ear and ear and started hopping down the stairs.

"How sneaky!" she snickered. "Putting a Lounge in the basement of an abandoned establishment! GENIUS!" 

"Lower your fucking voice, idiot." 

"Come on, Levi! Let's go in! I'm dying to know if it's just as amazing on the inside as it is on the outside." 

Sighing, the raven followed after his excitable friend as she opened the door and darted into the darkness. Upon entering, Levi took note of the spiral staircase that led further down and it made him wonder just how far below ground level this place was if you needed two fucking staircases to get there. When they reached the landing, he was surprised to learn that for a basement, it really didn't look like a basement at all. In fact, it looked and smelled like anything but the basement underneath a building. The walls were made of a lighter colored stone that added a soft look to the otherwise dimly-lit interior. There weren't very many tables, at a glance Levi counted about six or seven tables that could seat up to four people, but then of course there was the illuminated bar off to the far right of them. It was massive and obviously a huge attraction seeing as most of the seats at the bar were taken or occupied. The recessed lighting helped add more soft lighting to the entire space, and on every table, there was a small tea light situated inside of an open glass sphere. The candlelight added a very intimate vibe, seeing as some of the tables were occupied by couples who were otherwise entangled in each other. 

"Well, how about this, Levi?" Hanji said in a sing-song voice. Her shoulder coming to bump into him playfully. "It's actually nice as hell, isn't it? I've never been to a Lounge like this before." 

"Yeah," agreed Levi distractedly. His eyes were still scanning the entire room, taking in one of the two of the larger alcoves that had a simple stage set up inside of it. There was a lone stool in the center, a mic stand and what looked like an acoustic guitar set up next to the stool. "It's not bad." 

"Not bad? It's fantastic! Can't believe I've only discovered it now. I'm so going to yell at Nanaba for not telling me about it sooner." One of her arms came to rest around Levi's shoulders as she sighed wistfully. "And now you're even friends with one of the owners? I'm sooo jealous." she complained loudly. 

"Will you shut the fuck up?" growled Levi. "I'm not friends with him, he just happens to be my neighbor." 

"Sure, sure, whatever you say, my little grumpy bean." Levi angrily shrugged her arm off his shoulders and moved to claim one of the nearby tables for himself. "How about we start off with a couple of drinks?" 

"You're buying." 

"But of course! Hang on, I'll be right back." 

Turning in his seat, Levi looked back and watched as Hanji approached the lighted bar. There were two bartenders currently taking orders, a tall man and another tall woman, but the man was the one who took Hanji's order. He was rather long in the face, with a thin beard lining his jaw. When he felt like Hanji wasn't about to start a scene or do something crazy, Levi turned back in his seat and continued taking in the space around him. This was... nothing at all like he thought it would be. Considering the fact that Eren always looked disheveled in some way, Levi had expected this Lounge of his to be some kind of obnoxious hipster place with a bunch of punk college kids sitting on bean bags and shit. He did note a couple of leather couches lining a far wall near the bar, but no college kids. Well, at least none that looked like college kids anyway. Most of the other patrons were dressed similarly to him, or if not, a little more formal. Although, he did notice the annoyingly affectionate couples that did occupy a few tables. They were all so engrossed with each other and Levi couldn't help but frown. In a way, he was glad he came with Hanji, but on the other hand, maybe it would have been better to come with Erwin. Not that it would solve anything. It's not like just because he brought his boyfriend to an intimate place, they would start cuddling or making out. He and Erwin weren't exactly the types to do that sort of thing and never had, not even in the very beginning of their relationship. 

"So," came Hanji's familiar voice as she returned to the table and set their drinks down. She had ordered a Bourbon & Coke for Levi and a green apple martini for herself. The raven eyed the pristine tumbler that held his drink closely, noting the lack of any smudges or water stains. Yet another plus in his book. "See any signs of that neighbor of yours? What's he look like anyway? You only told me he was a brat, which isn't any help at all because anyone under the age of thirty is a brat to you." 

Levi took an experimental sip of his drink, noting the smoothness of the bourbon in his glass. Definitely the good stuff, not some cheap brand. "He's tall, not as tall as Erwin I guess but tall. Long brown hair, probably almost as long as yours, and he always looks like he hasn't shaved in days. Not a full beard, just scruffy shit on his chin and on his upper lip." 

Blinking slowly, Hanji eventually shot Levi a slightly peeved look. "That's still such a vague description, Levi. Can't you give me a little more to go on here?" 

"Tch, I've only seen him a small handful of times, you dumbass. How am I supposed to know if--" stopping short, Levi seemed to catch himself when he suddenly recalled that he had left out a rather crucial detail. "Actually," he began, his voice a little quieter, more hesitant than before. "He's got these weird fucking eyes." 

"Weird? Like how?" questioned the woman curiously. "Like, he's got crazy eyes or like a lazy eye or something?" 

"What? No." Levi exasperated. "I meant his eye color. It's fucking weird. I don't think I've ever seen someone with his eye color before." 

"Go on~" hummed Hanji, the rim of her glass between her lips as she took a long sip of her Martini. 

"The first time I met him, I thought they were just green. Admittedly, he's got freakishly big eyes, so it wasn't hard to miss. But, the last few times I've bumped into him, they looked almost blue. They're fucking weird." Taking another swig of his drink, Levi set his glass back down on one of the coasters on the table. "Is that a real thing? Eyes that change color?" 

Snorting loudly, Hanji seemed to find Levi's question highly amusing. "Uhm, yes? Why is this so surprising to you? Your eyes to the same thing too." 

"... What are you talking about, you freak?" 

"You! Your eyes do that weird changing color thing too! Have you seriously never noticed?" 

"What the fuck, no? My eyes are gray." 

"They're blue." 

"Hanji," he sighed, putting plenty of stress on her name as she took a deep breath. "Don't you think that at my age, I would know what fucking color my eyes are?" 

"I mean, you would think." shrugged the brunette, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips as she sipped on her drink. "But apparently not. I'm telling you, in certain lighting your eyes turn blue." 

Levi stared at her for a long moment, his eyes blinking slowly as he tried to figure out a way to convince this clearly insane person that his eyes were not, in fact, blue. But, in the end, he gave up because he knew no amount of arguing or debating would change her mind. Hanji was stubborn that way. 

"... They're fucking gray, now shut up." 

Once again, Hanji shrugged but didn't try to continue proving her point. Something Levi was mildly grateful for as it meant he wouldn't have to continue this pointless argument over eye color. They both fell silent, with Levi getting a bit distracted by the sight of a beautiful asian woman, her short, onyx hair framing her face nicely and her lips painted a deep red color. She was wearing a black short-sleeved t-shirt that said 'SECURITY' in bold white font on the back. Looked like even a seemingly laid back place like this had their own security. A bar was a bar after all, no matter how you dressed it up or disguised it. Anyplace where people could get shit-faced, there were bound to be idiots who tried to start trouble too. 

"Uh, Levi?" called Hanji. 

"What?" the raven sighed as he turned to regard her tiredly. 

Hanji was staring off at something but Levi couldn't be bothered to follow her gaze as he waited for her to speak. "You said your neighbor looked like a hobo, right?" 

"Yeah, why?" 

"Weird colored eyes, right?" 

"Fucking-- _Yes_ , why are you asking?"

"Uhm, Levi." she said turning to face him finally, her lips stretched wide in a shit-eating-grin. Then, she lifted her hand and pointed toward the stage. "Is _THAT_ your neighbor up on the stage?" 

Pausing to answer her, Levi followed the direction her finger was pointing in, gray-blue eyes landing on a familiar tall, lanky figure sitting on the only stool on the stage, that acoustic guitar already held in his hands. The brunet male that was currently gearing up to speak into the mic, the house lights dimming a bit as a faint spotlight illuminated his face, was both foreign and familiar to Levi as he drank in the sight of Eren with his long hair loose and draped over his right shoulder, partially covering the right side of his face. For the first time since meeting him, Eren was shaved and it startled Levi a bit to see that underneath the scruff and messy hair was an attractive young man--not that Eren wasn't attractive before, but Levi simply couldn't get past the facial hair most days--. 

"Good evening," greeted Eren, his voice lower than Levi remembered it as he spoke softly into the mic. "Welcome to the 104th Lounge, I'm Eren and I'll be singing a song for you all tonight." There was something different about him, the raven noted, but he couldn't quite place what, exactly. The air around the brunet seemed relaxed but confident, nothing like the slightly nervous and bumbling Eren he often ran into at the apartments. "Before I start, I wanna thank everyone for coming out to spend your evening with us. We here at the 104th hope you've enjoyed your time here and we hope you'll come again soon." an easy smile spread across his face, crooked and toothy, it spoke volumes about how often Eren did this. "This first song is called Slip." 

Light applause followed Eren's introduction and it was safe to say that every pair of eyes in the entire room were focused on the handsome brunet that was now preparing to perform for them. Hanji's grin had widened, her eyes alight with curiosity and interest. Meanwhile, Levi couldn't tear his gaze away from the person on stage. Was that really Eren? He just couldn't believe it.

[ **(X)** ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02nohhgmY-k)

_"♪ Maybe we, we fell apart for a reason_  
I have to let it go, before I make myself sick  
And I feel the dark in the brightest of seasons  
and I feel the rain when the sky isn't bleeding 

_And I need to know if there was another man, oh, who took your hand and gave you everything that I can  
And I need to know if we can start anew, I'll fall fast asleep and pretend I'm not dreaming bout' you ♪"_

Levi was dumbstruck, sitting there, his drink forgotten as he watched this whole new person singing soft melodies into the mic. He still couldn't believe that it was the same Eren he had met on that first week of moving in, awkward and unsure and just a little nervous. Or that it was the same Eren who dropped all his laundry in the hallway after being knocked down by Backpack, or the same Eren who got tangled in Backpack's leash and caught him from falling flat on his fucking face. This Eren on stage, singing words of love and heartbreak, was someone entirely different. Or, maybe this was just a side of Eren that Levi didn't know existed because, after all, he hardly knew the brunet at all. They had only ever crossed paths a handful of times, spoken even fewer times than that.They were strangers, after all.

_"♪ Maybe we, we fell in love for a reason_  
I have to hold you close, before I let you slip away  
And I feel the pain, though my heart isn't beating  
and I searched myself today and I found what was missing 

_I need to know if there was another man, oh, who took your hand and gave you everything that I can  
And I need to know if we can start anew, I'll fall asleep and pretending I'm not dreaming bout' you _

_It keeps me awake, I can't explain, I feel lonely lately when the birds sing your name  
The clouds form your face, I know myself, but this sorrow won't leave me today ♪"_

Then, as if someone had pressed a button and froze time itself, Levi watched as Eren finally opened his eyes, the spotlight causing them to glitter beautifully and shimmer green and blue and maybe even hints of gold, he didn't even know anymore. Eren's eyes were like looking into a fucking kaleidoscope and Levi wasn't sure if he loved or hated it because, damn it, he just wanted to know what words he could use to describe those fucking eyes. Eren scanned the room for a brief second, his lips coming to press up against the mic as he seemed to spot Levi in the crowd. There was a look of recognition in his eyes, Levi saw the exact moment when the younger man found him in the sparse crowd but aside from Eren's eyes widening just a fraction, there was no other outward reaction. Then, without tearing his eyes away from the raven, Levi swallowed thickly when Eren's voice pitched high, his tone soft and tender as he crooned into the mic, his lips caressing it like the ear of a lover.

_"♪ I need to know if there was another soul, who'd lay out their hand and teach me to love again  
And I need to know if there was another heart to place in my chest and teach mine to beat again,  
And I need to know if you're coming back for me, whilst I wait patiently, you said you'd grow old with me ♪"_

Those eyes stayed trained on Levi's unwavering gaze, even after the song had ended and some of the other patrons had stood to give Eren a round of applause, the brunet held his stare, the smallest of smiles on his face that had Levi's heart clenching strangely in his chest. It was just a smile and yet it seemed to speak more words across this distance than any actual words could. Had it been a mistake coming here? Levi wasn't sure how he felt about Eren, didn't know him well enough to be able to form a solid opinion of him yet and still he found himself unable to take his gaze off the brunet, who stood and took a small bow, thanking his audience.

"Sooo, you told me he was a co-owner." Hanji said. She was trying to flag down one of the servers to get a refill on her drink. "You didn't tell me he was also a totally gorgeous stud and a singer to boot." 

"Like I fucking knew." grumbled Levi. Finally, he tore his gaze away from the figure onstage, Eren was already preparing to leave the stage.

"You mean he didn't tell you?" 

"No. Don't you think if he had, I would have mentioned it?" 

"...True. Still, you omitted the fact that he's also gorgeous." 

"You're only saying that because you haven't seen what he normally looks like and it's not... _THAT_."

he said with a huff of air, his hand gesturing vaguely in Eren's direction.

"Oh, hon." tittered Hanji. "Is that a blush I see?" 

"..." 

"So, this is where you both sneaked off to." Hearing a familiar baritone, Levi froze. "Should I be offended that I didn't get an invite?" 

Glancing up to his right, the raven was met with the ever affable expression of Erwin's as the blond approached their table and pulled out one of the chairs to take a seat. He was still wearing his works clothes, sans tie and suit jacket. 

"Erwin..." Levi said. "What--"

"Hanji sent me a text letting me know where you'd be." the blond answered. It figured that he didn't even need to wait for Levi to actually finish his question. He seemed to do that a lot lately. Had he really become so predictable that Erwin could already answer something he had yet to actually ask aloud? That thought didn't sit well with him. "Naturally, since we were going to miss out on dinner together, I figured I may as well join you on a night out." He leaned toward the shorter male, pecking him on the lips before pulling away and smiling warmly. His eyes, however, held no warmth and even Levi could pick up on that. "You look nice tonight, Levi." even his compliments sounded empty to Levi's ears. This whole thing was making him feel worse than he had before. Was he just overthinking everything?

"Thanks." was the raven's bland reply. "... Are you staying for a drink or...?" 

"No, I shouldn't." refused the blond politely. "You know alcohol and I don't really mix very well." 

"Right. Okay then." 

Spitefully, Levi finally flagged down one of the servers. She was a young brunette girl, who, for whatever reason, seemed to resemble Hanji a little too much for Levi's liking. All she needed was a thick pair of glasses and she'd be set. 

"Hi! My name is Sasha. What can I get you?" she asked cheerfully. 

"Another round of drinks. Coke & Bourbon on the rocks and a shitty green apple Martini for her."

"Hey," whined Hanji again. "My Apple Martinis are not shitty. They're yummy as hell." 

"Sure, whatever you say." shrugged Levi. He could feel Erwin's eyes boring into him as he playfully bickered with Hanji but the raven ignored the sensation of being carefully watched. He knew ordering another drink would irritate Erwin, seeing as he hated when Levi drank too much. It wasn't like it was his fault that Erwin was a lightweight who couldn't handle anymore than a sip of hard liquor. Levi had a high tolerance for strong alcohol and he liked to abuse this little perk every once and while. Besides, it wasn't like anybody was forcing him to be here either. It was the whole reason why he hadn't bothered inviting the man out with the two of them that evening. So, why the hell would Hanji go behind his back and do exactly that when she knew just as well as he did that Erwin would be opposed to coming here in the first place? It made no sense and he wasn't sure if this was her way of trying to _'Help'_ or not.

Unconsciously, Levi found himself scanning the room for any signs of Eren, but for whatever reason he saw neither hide nor hair. He hadn't even noticed when the brunet had left the stage earlier and wondered where he could have gone. They stayed at the 104th Lounge and drank for another hour or so, Erwin still refusing to drink as he stuck with a simple cranberry juice and a twist of lemon, but for the remainder of their time Levi didn't see a single glimpse of Eren and he couldn't help but wonder why? Was the brunet just busy taking care of other things or had he left? He found that unusual seeing as he always heard Eren getting home after 3 am, sometimes even later than that. Glancing down at the clock on his phone screen, Levi noted that it was only 10 pm, so where the hell was Eren?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the S.S. Ereri!!!   
> No, I'm totally kidding lmao the ship is nowhere near sailing just yet. We've still got plenty more to go before the Ereri officially sets sail. 
> 
> Anyway, hope y'all enjoy this chapter! I enjoyed writing it, that's for sure.


End file.
